ODU slips past Hofstra and into semifinals

It was the Gerald Lee and Charles Jenkins Show in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament yesterday at the Coliseum.

But Jonathan Adams had the final say in fourth-seeded Old Dominion's 52-51 nail-biter over No. 5 Hofstra before a matinee audience of 7,387.

Adams blocked a shot by Jenkins just before the buzzer sounded, allowing the Monarchs to escape with a hard-earned victory and set up a semifinal showdown with top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth University today at 3 p.m.

"I thought the game lived up to its standards," said ODU coach Blaine Taylor, whose club won its sixth straight and 10th in its past 11 games.

Lee scored a career-high 30 points and helped the Monarchs (21-9) claim a 46-34 advantage on the glass with 10 rebounds.

"I have some great teammates who know how to pass the ball real well. They got me the ball tonight, and I thank them for it," Lee said.

Not bad for someone coming off a foot injury that kept him out of one recent game and limited his time in another entering the tournament.

"It still hurts a little bit," said Lee, who was 13 of 19 from the field. "In some situations, when I push off, it hurts quite a bit. But in other situations, it doesn't bother me at all."

After a 3-pointer from the top of the key by Jenkins had given the Pride (21-11) a 47-46 edge with 2:04 to go, Lee put ODU back on top to stay with a layup at 1:45. A tip-in by Lee increased the lead to 50-47 with 39 seconds remaining.

Jenkins, who finished with 27 points and six boards, made two free throws at :29 to slice Hofstra's deficit to one, before guard Darius James buried both ends of a one-and-one with 20.2 seconds left to make it 52-49.

A jumper by Jenkins in the paint at 10.4 cut ODU's margin to one again, and the Pride gained possession by calling a timeout during a scramble for a loose ball in front of Hofstra's bench.

The play gave Hofstra a chance to win, and Pride coach Tom Pecora wanted his ace to take the final shot.

"I thought Charles got a decent look," Pecora said. "I'm willing to live and die with the ball in his hands."

The Pride had 3.8 seconds to work with, and Jenkins was closely guarded by Kent Bazemore after the ball was inbounded. Jenkins got away from Bazemore and dribbled toward the basket, where he tried to get off about a 12-footer.

Adams had left his man and was able to go up with Jenkins, knocking the ball into the lane, as the buzzer sounded.

"I just didn't get a good shot off," Jenkins said. "It was like a scramble but it's no excuse for that. The last play doesn't dictate what happens in the game."

Contact John Packett at (804) 649-6313 or jpackett@timesdispatch.com.

HOFSTRA (21-11)


M FG FT R PF A Pts Lester------------------------- 26 4-9 0-2 4 1 1 8 Urbutis------------------------- 15 1-4 0-0 4 1 0 2 Townes------------------------- 11 0-0 1-2 1 2 0 1 G. Johnson------------------------- 8 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 Jenkins------------------------- 37 9-23 7-8 6 3 1 27 Szabo------------------------- 11 0-1 3-4 3 1 0 3 Sestokas------------------------- 24 1-2 0-0 2 0 0 3 Dennison------------------------- 2 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0 Vines------------------------- 24 1-5 0-0 2 2 2 3 Washington------------------------- 30 1-4 0-0 6 3 1 2 D. Johnson------------------------- 12 1-3 0-2 2 4 0 2 Team 2 Totals ------------------------- 18-52 11-18 34 18 5 51

OLD DOMINION (21-9)


M FG FT R PF A Pts Lee------------------------- 37 13-19 4-8 10 3 0 30 Hassell------------------------- 20 3-5 1-2 3 4 1 7 Adams------------------------- 34 2-10 1-2 8 0 2 7 James------------------------- 33 0-7 2-2 2 1 1 2 Finney------------------------- 26 0-4 0-0 6 2 2 0 Neely------------------------- 14 0-2 0-0 2 2 1 0 Bazemore------------------------- 14 1-5 0-0 5 2 1 2 Carter------------------------- 22 2-4 0-5 6 0 0 4 Team 4 Totals ------------------------- 21-56 8-19 46 15 8 52

Hofstra ------------------------- 29 22 - 51
Old Dominion ------------------------- 28 24 - 52

3-point goals - Hofstra (4-12): Jenkins 2-4, Sestokas 1-2, Vines 1-5, Lester 0-1. ODU (2-13): Adams 2-4, Neely 0-1, Finney 0-2, James 0-6.

Turnovers - Hofstra (9): D. Johnson 2, Lester, Urbutis, Jenkins, Szabo, Vines, Washington, Team. ODU (11): Lee 4, James 2, Bazemore 2, Finney, Neely, Carter.

Blocked shots - Hofstra (4): Urbutis, Towns, Jenkins, Washington. ODU (3): Adams 2, Hassell.

Steals - Hofstra (5): Vines 2, Urbutis, G. Johnson, Jenkins. ODU (7): Finney 4, Lee, Hassell, Bazemore.

A - 7,387.