COLUMBUS , Ohio – Ohio Dominican's Adriene Rodriguez scored a game high 24 points to lead the Panthers men's basketball team to their first conference victory of the 2008-09 season on Saturday afternoon in Houghton , New York .   The Panthers used a late first half run and a solid second half to defeat the Highlanders, 71-56.

Rodriguez, a 5-foot-9 guard from Lorian, Ohio , led the Panthers in double figures tying a season high with 24 points.   Rodriguez connected on 7-of-9 shooting for the night including 3-of-5 from behind the 3-point stripe.  more

Houghton got off to a strong start on their home court as they jumped out to an early lead.   The Highlanders took advantage of a five point swing with 8:43 to play in the first half, giving them their largest lead of the game, 22-16.   ODU answered with a 3-pointer by freshman Dominic Russo (Sagamore Hills, OH), one of four on the game, to cut the lead to three.   The Panthers would come storming back, going on a 12-3 run to take a 36-29 lead into the break.

Ohio Dominican picked up where they left off in the first half as they shot 53 percent for the game.   The ODU defense forced 20 turnovers and held the Highlanders to just 27 second half points.

Freshman forward Zak Kapron (Malvern, OH) scored three of his season high seven point's midway through the half as he scored an easy two while being fouled on the play.   Kapron nailed the free throw to complete the 3-point play putting ODU up 16, their largest lead of the game.   Houghton would cut the lead to single digits with two minutes to go, but clutch free throws down the stretch gave the Panthers the win.   Rodriguez connected on 7-of-8 from the charity stripe to lead the way.  

Joining Rodriguez in double figures was Russo with 14 and Donald Suel (Columbus, OH) and Bryan West (Coshocton, OH) who each finished with 11 points.

Houghton was led by Anzuluni with 17 points and Ryan Shay with 10.   The Highlanders fall to 3-8 on the year and 0-1 in the AMC .

Ohio Dominican, now 8-7 and 1-0 in AMC action, returns to the court this Tuesday as they travel to Cedarville University for another conference doubleheader with the women's team.   The ODU women will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men at 8 p.m.   The game can be heard live on WVKO 1580 AM or by logging on to RadiODU or pressboxproductions.net.

Houghton , New York – The Ohio Dominican women's basketball team picked up their first conference victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Houghton Highlanders, 76-56.   The Panthers scored early and often as they were able to take control of the game to hand Houghton their first loss in conference play this year.

ODU jumped out to an early lead as they took a 10-4 advantage within the first three minutes of play.   The Highlanders regained confidence as they swapped lead changes with the Panthers early in the first half. The ODU offense answered back with an easy lay-up by Melissa Hersey (Cincinnati, OH) and a three-pointer from Amanda Ritzler (Tiffin, OH) to give the Panthers the lead with 12:43 to play before the break. ODU never looked back as they went on a 28-9 run to end the first half of action.   more

The Highlanders looked to rebound in the second half, but ODU refused to let up. The Panthers continued their dominating performance as they took advantage of poor shooting from the Highlanders. ODU extended their lead to 22, their largest of the game, with 5:25 left in the game.

The Ohio Dominican offense had four players score in double-figures led by freshman guard Jordan Smithberger (Pickerington, OH; pictured), who finished the day with 14 points. Kirsten Ruen (Columbus Grove, OH) chipped in with 13 points, senior guard Amanda Ritzler added 11, and senior forward Chelsea Rogers (Botkins, OH) scored 10 to give the Panthers the victory.

Houghton was led by Leah French who scored a game high 17 points, and Shannon Daugherty added 15 points of her own in the loss. The win evens the Panthers record to 7-7 on the year, and 1-0 in AMC action.  

ODU will return to action on Tuesday, January 6^th, as they travel to Cedarville , Ohio to take on Cedarville University . Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. and can be heard on WVKO 1580 AM or by logging on to RadiODU or pressboxproductions.net.

UPLAND , Indiana – The Ohio Dominican women's basketball team dropped their second straight game at the Taylor Trojan Classic on Wednesday as they fell to the host Trojans, 76-66.   The Panthers committed 25 turnovers that led to 31 points for the Trojans as they held off a late rally to earn their second win in two days.

Turnovers and missed opportunities plagued both teams as the Panthers and Trojans got off to a sloppy start to the non-conference match-up.   Taylor committed two turnovers in their first three possessions and ODU wasn't able to capitalize early as the two teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of the half.     more

The Trojans took a slight advantage midway through the first as Tasha Marshall nailed a 3-pointer with nine minutes left in the first to give the host a four point lead.   Taylor continued to build on ODU's miscues and took a 34-23 lead into the break.

The Panthers continued to misfire on offense and Taylor extended their lead to as many as 20 points early in the second half.   ODU mounted a big second half comeback, but it wasn't enough to bring the Panthers back.

Ohio Dominican was led by senior guard Amanda Ritzler (Tiffin, OH; pictured) who finished the day with a game high 24 points.   Ritzler also had four assists and five steals.   Abby Glover (Centerville, OH) came off the bench to score in double figures for the second straight game with 12 points.   Ritzler and Glover were named to the All-Classic Team.

Taylor was led by Paige Rudolph with 20 points on 13-for-16 from the charity stripe.   Allison Reece recorded a double-double for the Trojans with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

ODU returns to action on Saturday, January 3^rd as they travel to Houghton , New York for their conference opener versus the Houghton Highlanders.   Game time is set for 2 p.m. and can be heard on WVKO 1580 AM or by logging on to RadiODU or pressboxproductions.net.

UPLAND , Indiana – The Ohio Dominican women's basketball team was looking for an upset on Tuesday as they faced unbeaten Marian College in the opening round of the Taylor Trojan Classic.   The Panthers couldn't finish off a dramatic comeback as they fell, 80-73.

Ohio Dominican was led by a career night from freshman forward Abby Glover (Centerville, OH) who came off the bench to spark the Panthers with a game high 22 points including 13-of-13 free throw line, but it wasn't enough to bring ODU back from an early deficit.     more

Marian riding a 14 game win streak jumped out early as they grabbed a quick lead.   The Knights kept up the pressure as they extended their lead to as many as 18 points in the first half.   ODU battled back and cut the lead to 39-29 heading into the break.

It was another quick start by the Knights as they went on an 11-2 run to start the second half and expand their lead to 15 points.   ODU once again battled back, and with four minutes to go were down one point, 67-66.   The Panthers couldn't hold the momentum as the Knights stayed perfect with the non-conference victory.

Marian improves to 14-0 on the year while ODU falls to 6-6 overall.   The Knights were led by Megan Egenolf with 17 points.   Marian's Jessica Carr added a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Leading the way for the Panthers was Glover with 22 points and five rebounds.   Joining her in double figures was Melissa Hersey (Cincinnati, OH) with 13 points and five assists.   Chelsea Rogers (Botkins, OH) added 12 points and a team high eight boards.

ODU returns to action on Wednesday, December 31^st as they face Taylor University in the second round of the Taylor Trojan Classic.   Game time is set for 2 p.m. and can be heard on WVKO 1580 AM or by logging on to RadiODU or pressboxproductions.net.