GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – The Ohio Dominican women's basketball team earned their second consecutive road win on Saturday afternoon, defeating the NAIA 6^th ranked Cornerstone University Golden Eagles 67-65 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Panthers used two defensive stops in the final seconds to hold on for the upset win.

The Panthers battled from the outset of the opening half, as they were able to climb out of an early eight point deficit to claim a 30-30 tie after 20-minutes of play.  more

The second half saw another competitive half, as both teams countered each others runs. Cornerstone again jumped out to an early eight point advantage, but a Panther run helped them grab the lead with 11:59 remaining. ODU never trailed again and hung on for the non-conference road win.  

Leading the way for the Panthers was freshman Meredith Fox (Springboro, OH), who came off the bench to finish with 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Point Guard Melissa Hersey (Cincinnati, OH) scored a career high 19 points while dishing out six assists. Kirsten Ruen (Columbus Grove, OH) turned in a solid performance scoring nine points to go along with seven rebounds. Cornerstone was led by Jenna Plewes, who finished with a game high 23 points in the loss.

 "This was a solid win for our program, said Head Coach Nathan Bellman." "I'm proud of the effort the team played with on the road against a very good Golden Eagle team."

Ohio Dominican, 3-4, will return to action on Friday, December 5^th, when they will return to Alumni Hall for their Second Annual ODU Classic. The Panthers will play UC-Clermont in the second game Friday night starting at 8 p.m.

COLUMBUS , Ohio – The Ohio Dominican men's basketball team dropped another tough match-up with their fourth NAIA DI opponent of the season and third ranked team on Saturday afternoon in the final game of the First Annual Red Roof Inn Thanksgiving Classic.   The Panthers fell 84-73 to the No. 11 ranked University of the Cumberlands in Alumni Hall.

ODU hung around early as the two non-conference opponents traded baskets in the opening half.   Cumberlands took a slight advantage mid-way through the first half thanks to a 11-3 run fueled by point guard Terrance Asmond.   The Panthers trailed by as many as 12 points with three minutes left in the half, but cut the deficit to 43-37 at the break.  more

Ohio Dominican came out strong in the second half and took their first lead of the game with 11:58 left, 53-52.   During the next five minutes, the Panthers built a five point lead, only to let it slip away with four minutes left.   After trading leads, the Patriots would steal the lead for good and earn the tough non-conference win.

Leading the way for Ohio Dominican was senior guard Donald Suel (Columbus, OH) who finished with a game-high 25 points, including 11-for-12 from the free throw line.   Suel was named to the All-Classic Team.   Bryan West (Coshocton, OH) turned in another solid performance as he finished with 15 points.   Adriene Rodriguez (Lorian, OH) finished the night with 11 points and was also selected to the All-Classic Team.

Josh Phillips and Luke Fitzgerald led five starters with 16 points for the Patriots.   Phillips was named to the All-Classic Team.   Asmond added 15 points and was Cumberlands second selection to the All-Classic Team.

In the first game of the afternoon, Trevecca Nazarene defeated Point Park , 104-71.   Trevecca's Brian Oduor and Chris Harris were selected to the All-Classic Team after the Trojans went 2-0 on the weekend.   Harris finished the game with a triple-double scoring 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.   Point Park placed Gary Houston and Devon Alexander on the All-Classic Team.

The Panthers will return to action on Tuesday, December 2^nd as they travel to Mt. Vernon Nazarene University for a non-conference game with the Cougars.   Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

COLUMBUS , Ohio – The Ohio Dominican men's basketball team dropped their opening game of the Red Roof Inn Holiday Classic on Friday night, 86-73, to Trevecca Nazarene University .   The Trojans used a 28-of-41 shooting performance to snap the Panthers three game winning streak in the First Annual Thanksgiving Classic.

ODU fell behind early as they Trojans came out hot, scoring the games first nine points.   The Panthers battled back and tied the game at 22 with 9:41 left in the first half; but a 14-2 run put the visiting Trojans up 36-24.   Trevecca continued to light up the score board as they took a 50-34 lead to the break after shooting a blistering 75 percent from the floor.  more

Ohio Dominican turned up the defense in the second half, but couldn't get any closer than 11 points versus the hot shooting Trojans.   Trevecca finished the night shooting 68 percent from the field and 57 percent from behind the arch.

Leading the way for Ohio Dominican was senior guard Donald Suel (Columbus, OH) with 23 points.   Also scoring in double figures for the Panthers was junior point guard Adriene Rodriguez (Lorian, OH; pictured) finishing the night with 14 points and six assists.

Trevecca forward Brian Oduor led three Trojans in double figures with a game-high 29 points.   Oduor was perfect 12-for-12 from the floor in the win.   Tyler Watkins came off the bench to score 13 and Matthew Smigielski added 12 points for the Trojans.

In the opening game of the night, the University of the Cumberlands defeated Point Park University, 84-60.   Terrance Asmond scored a team-high 14 points leading the Patroits balance scoring attack.   Chad Byron, Xavier Price and Luke Fitzgerald each added 11 points, respectively.   Point Park was led by Devon Alexander going 12-of-12 from the floor for a game-high 25 points.

The Holiday Classic will resume tomorrow with Point Park and Trevecca getting things started at 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall.   ODU and Cumberlands will follow at 4 p.m. in the final game of the Classic.  

LIMA, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican women's basketball team played their second consecutive overtime game on Tuesday night as they traveled to Lima, Ohio for another pre-conference match-up. The Panthers used a solid second half and overtime period to defeat the University of Northwestern Ohio, 80-77, and earn their first road win of the season.  

The Panthers scored the games first points at the 18:28 mark to take a 3-0 lead. ODU quickly saw the Racers catch fire as they built a 15-point advantage with eight minutes remaining in the half. A 6-0 run to end the opening half helped the Panthers close the gap to five, 42-37.  more

With a strong finish to the opening 20 minutes, the Panthers looked to start the second stanza maintaining the momentum. An early 3-pointer from senior Amanda Ritzler (Tiffin, OH) made it a two-point game at 42-40 with over 18-minutes to go. The Racers responded and held a slim lead for the next eight minutes before a jumper from Lauren Dugan (Cincinnati, OH) tied the game at 50 with 10:12 left in regulation. The Panthers earned just their second lead of the game with 7:18 remaining when sophomore Summer Swetlic (Mount Vernon, OH) knocked down a 3-point shot to give the visitors the 57-56 lead. Neither team garnered more than a four point lead as the game headed to overtime tied at 67.

The Panthers turned up the intensity in the overtime period as they built their largest lead of the game, 77-69 with 1:32 left. ODU hit clutch free throws down the stretch and earned the hard fought win.

Ohio Dominican was led by Ritzler, who finished with a new career high 23 points on 4-of-11 shooting from behind the arc. Ritzler was joined in double figures by Kirsten Ruen (Columbus Grove, OH) who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Melissa Hersey (Cincinnati, OH) scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in 40 minutes of action. The Racers were led by Ashley Jackson who finished with a game high 24 points in the early season loss.

The Panthers, 2-4, will return to action on Saturday, November 29^th as they travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan to battle the 6^th ranked Golden Eagles of Cornerstone University in another pre-conference showdown. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.