1996–97 Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball team

The 1996–97 Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball team represented Old Dominion University during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Monarchs, led by tenth-year head coach Wendy Larry, played their home games at the Old Dominion University Fieldhouse, and alternatively at the Norfolk Scope, in Norfolk, Virginia. They were members of the Colonial Athletic Association.

1996–97 Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball
CAA tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Runner-up
Conference	Colonial Athletic Association
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
Record	34–2 (16–0 CAA)
Head coach	Wendy Larry (10th season)
Home arena	ODU Fieldhouse Norfolk Scope (alternate)

1996–97 CAA women's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 2 Old Dominion †	16	–	0		1.000			34	–	2		.944
American	11	–	5		.688			18	–	9		.667
Richmond	10	–	6		.625			16	–	11		.593
James Madison	9	–	7		.563			19	–	9		.679
George Mason	8	–	8		.500			15	–	12		.556
East Carolina	6	–	10		.375			13	–	16		.448
VCU	5	–	11		.313			13	–	15		.464
UNC Wilmington	4	–	12		.250			11	–	16		.407
William & Mary	3	–	13		.188			7	–	20		.259
† 1997 CAA tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Roster

1996–97 Old Dominion Lady Monarchs women's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Hometown F/C 00 Nyree Roberts 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Jr G 12 Aubrey Eblin 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) So PG 21 Ticha Penicheiro 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Jr F 23 Mery Andrade 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So F/C 33 Clarisse Machanguana 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Sr	Head coach Wendy Larry Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
Nov 15, 1996*	No. 7	George Washington Preseason WNIT	W 70–44	1–0	ODU Fieldhouse  Norfolk, VA
Nov 17, 1996*	No. 7	No. 13 NC State Preseason WNIT	L 62–65	1–1	Norfolk, VA
Dec 17, 1996*	No. 4	No. 1 Stanford	W 83–66	8–1	Norfolk, VA
Jan 7, 1997*	No. 2	No. 9 Tennessee	W 83–72	12–1	Norfolk Scope  Norfolk, VA
Feb 23, 1997	No. 2	at George Mason	W 102–46	26–1 (16–0)	Patriot Center  Fairfax, VA
CAA tournament
Feb 27, 1997*	(1) No. 2	vs. (9) William & Mary Quarterfinals	W 101–35	27–1	Richmond Coliseum  Richmond, VA
Feb 28, 1997*	(1) No. 2	vs. (4) James Madison Semifinals	W 86–48	28–1	Richmond Coliseum  Richmond, VA
Mar 2, 1997*	(1) No. 2	vs. (6) East Carolina Championship game	W 83–46	29–1	Richmond Coliseum  Richmond, VA
NCAA tournament
Mar 15, 1997*	(1 ME) No. 2	vs. (16 ME) Liberty First round	W 102–52	30–1	Norfolk Scope  Norfolk, VA
Mar 17, 1997*	(1 ME) No. 2	vs. (8 ME) Purdue Second round	W 69–65 OT	31–1	Norfolk Scope  Norfolk, VA
Mar 22, 1997*	(1 ME) No. 2	vs. (4 ME) No. 9 LSU Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen	W 62–49	32–1	Mackey Arena  West Lafayette, IN
Mar 24, 1997*	(1 ME) No. 2	vs. (3 ME) No. 7 Florida Regional Final – Elite Eight	W 53–51	33–1	Mackey Arena  West Lafayette, IN
Mar 28, 1997*	(1 ME) No. 2	vs. (1 W) No. 3 Stanford National Semifinal – Final Four	W 83–82 OT	34–1	Riverfront Coliseum  Cincinnati, OH
Mar 30, 1997*	(1 ME) No. 2	vs. (3 MW) No. 10 Tennessee National Championship	L 59–68	34–2	Riverfront Coliseum  Cincinnati, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. E = East, MW = Midwest

• Source: Old Dominion Athletics,

Rankings

Main article: 1996–97 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
AP	7	9	8	6	6	4	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	Not released
Coaches	7	9	8	6	6	5	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2