On November 11th, 2024, the Lady Monarchs took down the Morgan State Lady Bears at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, VA, for their season opener home game. The final score was 60 - 49. The people showed up and put life into the atmosphere. The student section chanted loudly for the Monarchs and distracted the Morgan State Bears. The tip-off began with Brenda Fontana and Laila Fair in the middle court. As soon as Morgan State retrieved the ball, the intensity increased.

Morgan State Bears and Old Dominion Monarchs were playing tight defense. The Lady Monarchs had a shaky start but managed to pull it together. In the first period, ODU obtained 7 points from turnovers. Morgan State Lady Bears were able to outscore the Monarchs in the paint with Laila Fair at the free throw line and on the blocks. Laila Fair had 20 rebounds, 16 points, and three blocks. It was a tough matchup, but the Lady Monarchs were coached to a victory by DeLisha Milton-Jones and assistant coaches Roland Jones Jr., Josh Pace, and Danielle Bell.

At the eight-minute mark of the second period, Old Dominion's defense tightened up, and Morgan State couldn't get a shot up. The Lady Monarchs were two for two from the field. ODU's previous game against SMU, the bench was ready to play. It was the same outcome in this game versus Morgan State. ODU's bench was outscoring the Bears. ODU's bench outscored the Bears by eight points. ODU also led in fast-break points. The fast break points were from active hands-on defense, great ball-handling skills by the Monarchs, and outlet passes.

Looking past ODU's 17 turnovers and being eaten up by Laila Fair on the boards, ODU's ability to play great team ball, hustle, and work ethic gave them an advantage going into the final quarter. ODU shot 38.5 percent from the field, while Morgan State was shooting 31.6 percent from the field. ODU shot a high percentage at the free-throw line. The Monarchs shot 61.5 percent from the free throw. In the end, the Lady Monarchs' bench scored 21 points, and with Laila Fair in the paint, the Monarchs still scored more down low. Listen to the full live-action (play-by-play) on YouTube. The Lady Monarchs go against Bowie State on Friday, November 15th, 2024, at 4 pm. The game will be played at Chartway Arena, which is located in Norfolk, Va.