Atlanta (Jan. 6) ? In the Colonial Athletic Association season opener, Old Dominion posted a 79-59 win over Georgia State before 861 in the Georgia State Sports Arena.

Georgia State (3-9) got a career-best 25 points from junior guard Brittany Hollins and 13 points and seven rebounds from sophomore forward Shay Rawls. Old Dominion, who is 10-3 and ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll, was led by Jessica Canady's 21 points on 7-of-8 field goals and 7-of-7 free throws off the bench. Forward Shahida Williams added 12 points and eight rebounds while Jasmine Parker contributed 10 more points.

With 14 minutes left in the game, Georgia State had closed to 43-35 and stole a pass with a two-on-one fast break opportunity that backfired. As ODU returned down court, the Lady Monarchs converted two free throws to re-gain a 10-point lead. State got the basket back at 45-37 with 12:32 to play, but ODU went on a quick 12-2 run to gain a 57-39 advantage.

Georgia State shot just 30 percent in the game, hitting just 21 of 70 shots. The Panthers attempted 16 more shots than ODU, who shot 27-of-54, an even 50 percent for the game. Hustling Georgia State had 19 offensive rebounds, but ODU held a 41-39 rebound advantage.

“We played with effort and energy today, but we just couldn't get the ball in the basket,” Coach Lea Henry noted postgame. “We had a lot of good, easy looks that we need to convert into points. But, this team is trying to get better and I know we will as the young players gain confidence and experience.”

The game was tied at 10-10 with 13:10 on the clock in the first half, but a telling stat was that stat had shot 3-9 to get there and ODU was a perfect 4-of-4. The Panthers got their only lead at 12-11 with 12:36 on the clock. But, as the Panthers continued to misfire at the basket, ODU went on a 20-5 run to gain early control at 31-17. At halftime, it was 35-24 Old Dominion.

Georgia State will go on the road next week to battle a pair of CAA contenders in James Madison and VCU on Thursday and Sunday.