For a day, the Old Dominion women’s basketball program was transported back to its glorious past.
ODU hasn’t won a national title in three decades and hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2008. But that didn’t matter to a Constant Center crowd of 2,221 that cheered with gusto as the Lady Monarchs crushed Florida Atlantic 84-49.
ODU defeated Howard, 83-64, on Dec. 15 in Washington to became the fourth program in NCAA history to win 1,000 games. ODU waited a month to celebrate formally, and did so with some of its most famous names .
Marianne Stanley, who coached ODU to three national championships; Anne Donovan, the two-time national Player of the Year; Nyree Roberts, who helped lead ODU to the 1997 national championship game; and Celeste Hill, the three-time CAA Player of the Year, were among about 75 former players, coaches, trainers announced at halftime.