HARRISONBURG, Va. – Junior Jessica Canady posted game-highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season as No. 4 seed Old Dominion survived a late rally to defeat No. 5 seed UNC Wilmington, 61-56, in quarterfinal action in the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Championship Friday at the JMU Convocation Center on the campus of James Madison University.

The Lady Monarchs improved to 17-12 on the season as they advanced to the semifinal round, where they will face No. 1 seed Drexel Saturday in a Noon matchup on the Comcast Sports Network. The Seahawks end their season at 16-15.

Canady was the only ODU player to reach double figures as the Lady Monarchs went 23-for-67 (.343) from the floor in the contest.  Sophomore Shadasia Green notched nine points and senior Tiffany Green added seven points and pulled down nine rebounds as the Lady Monarchs held a 46-43 edge on the glass. 

Junior Greta Luksyte notched 16 points to pace three UNCW players in double figures as sophomore Brittany Blackwell added 13 and junior Whitney Simmons chipped in 10 points, all of which came in the second half. Simmons also matched her career-high with a game-best five assists. Blackwell pulled down eight rebounds while sophomore Martha White grabbed a career-high 10 caroms.

Trailing 21-15 late in the first half, a three-pointer by senior Jen Nuzzo sparked a 14-2 ODU run that lasted just over four minutes and gave the Lady Monarchs a 29-23 lead less than a minute into the second half. Canady provided the majority of the scoring during the run, tallying the final nine points of the spurt.

UNCW responded, scoring nine of the next 11 points to regain the lead, 32-31, before a Canady layup at the 15:49 mark began a 10-minute stretch that saw ODU score 21 of 28 points and take its largest lead of the game, 52-39, with 4:37 remaining.

The Seahawks made one last push, using a jumper by Blackwell at the 2:57 mark to ignite a 15-4 run over the next two minutes that got UNCW within two, 58-56, with 54 seconds on the clock.

Blackwell had a chance to pull the Seahawks within one, as she was fouled on the play, but her free-throw attempt rattled out, giving the Lady Monarchs possession. Junior Candace Walker gave the Seahawks a chance to tie the game seconds later, stealing Canady’s pass at mid-court and bring the ball down court before it was knocked out of bounds by the Lady Monarchs with 25 seconds remaining. On the ensuing in-bounds play, Nuzzo was able to steal the Seahawks in-bounds pass and draw the foul. She made one of two attempts to push the ODU lead to 59-56.

Simmons looked to cut into the Lady Monarch’s cushion on the Seahawks next possession, but her driving layup did not go down and Shadasia Green was able to corral the rebound. She was immediately fouled and made both free-throw attempts to determine the final margin. 

Notes: UNCW remains winless against Old Dominion as they dropped to 0-40 all-time versus the Lady Monarchs ... The Seahawks were also knocked out of the CAA Championship for the second straight season by ODU as they fell in the quarterfinal round to the Lady Monarchs last season, 82-65 ... ODU held a 28-16 edge in points in the paint and a 21-14 advantage in points off turnovers ... Both teams struggled from three-point range as UNCW was 3-of-12 (.250) and ODU was 2-for-15 (.133) from beyond the arc ... Simmons’ 10 points marked the third time this season and the first time in 11 games that the junior had reached double figures ... UNCW recorded just four steals for the second straight contest ... The Seahawks posted double-digit assists for the ninth straight game with 15 helpers versus the Lady Monarchs.