Led by returning players like Arnaud Dahi, top, the Monarchs had raced to a 21-3 record by early February, one of the best marks in college basketball. Dahi, a 6-7 sophomore from Ivory Coast, ranked first on the team in field goal percentage (.539) and blocked shots (39), second in rebounds (5.7) and third in scoring (11.8). The Lady Monarchs were 13-6 over the same period. Their lone conference loss, a 73-70 setback to Delaware on Jan. 9, ended ODU’s 122-game CAA home-court win streak. Tiffany Green, a 6-2 freshman from Chesapeake’s Indian River High School, provided the team with a much-needed presence under the basket. Through the first 19 games, she led in field goal percentage (.613) and rebounding (8.1), and was third in scoring. She also ranked first in blocked shots (27).