COLUMBUS, Ohio – A tale of two halves clearly defined the Ohio Dominican women's basketball game versus the Blue Knights of Urbana University on Wednesday evening in Alumni Hall. The Blue Knights dominate first half was short lived as the Panthers took control early in the second 20 minutes to earn a thrilling 55-54 win.
The Panthers (12-8) struggled mightily in the opening half, as they could only muster six field goals, shooting a dismal 17% from the field. Urbana looked like they would run away with a lopsided win as they jumped out to a 31-14 halftime lead on 14-of-28 shooting from the floor. Andrea Vogel paced the Blue Knights attack with 10 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting.
ODU came out with a sense of urgency in the second stanza as they quickly cut the lead to seven points on a lay-up from Katy Rasor (So./Grove City, OH) with 16:33 remaining. Urbana (12-9) continued to make shots as they held the lead throughout the next six minutes of play. Two free throws and a lay-up from Abby Glover (So./Centerville, OH) capped a 14 point second half performance and cut the Blue Knights lead to one, 35-34 with12 minutes left.
UU responded with a 5-0 run to regain control but the Panthers would not be denied as they took their first lead since 2-0 in the opening half on two free throws from Summer Hale (Jr./Galena, OH) with 43 seconds remaining. A basket from Haley Ducey gave the Blue Knights the lead again, but set up the final eight seconds that will go down in Panther basketball history. With four seconds left, freshman Tenia Scarver (Xenia, OH) caught an inbounds pass from Rasor and took a 30 foot shot as time expired, banking in a 3-point basket and earning a foul. With the made free throw, the Panthers escaped with the 55-54 win, and gave the fans an exciting departure from Alumni Hall.
Glover led Ohio Dominican in scoring, finishing with a team high 20 points. Hale grabbed another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Melissa Hersey (Jr./Cincinnati, OH) controlled play, dishing out six assists in the game.
Haley Ducey led the Blue Knights with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
The Panthers will return to action on Saturday, January 30th when they will travel to Painesville, Ohio to battle future GLIAC foe Lake Erie College in a men's and women's double-header with the Storm. Tip-off for the women is slated for 2 p.m.
