MARQUETTE, Mich. – A 20-5 run spanning the closing minutes of the first half and the start of the second half was too much for Ohio Dominican's women's basketball team to overcome as the Panthers fell 69-50 to Northern Michigan Saturday in GLIAC play.

ODU fell to 5-3 (1-3 GLIAC) with the setback, while the host Wildcats moved to 4-5 (1-2 GLIAC).

After ODU missed its first three shots and committed a handful of turnovers in the opening minutes, senior guard Meredith Fox (Springboro, Ohio) and sophomore guard Christina Pentaudi (Dayton, Ohio) carried the Panther offense in the first half, knocking down five three-pointers between them to account for 15 points. Fox's triple put the Panthers on top 19-14, and the lead stayed at five at 22-17 on a pair of free throws by freshman forward Paige Stought (Pickerington, Ohio).

The Wildcats, though, closed the half on a 10-2 run, including the final seven points, to grab a 27-24 lead at the break as ODU shot 32 percent from the field and finished with 13 turnovers.

Northern Michigan kept that momentum going into the second half, increasing its lead to 40-29 three and a half minutes into play. After a bucket by senior forward Abby Glover (Centerville, Ohio), the Wildcats moved their advantage to 17 points at 50-33 with 11:35 left. Pentaudi hit a pair of threes and Glover also knocked one down as the Panthers trimmed the deficit to 11, 53-42, with 9:30 left, but ODU would draw no closer.

The Wildcats made just six of their first 20 shots but connected 20 of their final 36, and NMU also controlled the glass with a 41-26 advantage on the boards.

Pentaudi led a trio of Panthers in double figures with a season-high 12 points, hitting 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and also tallied three assists. Fox finished with 11 points and Glover tallied 10 points and six boards to pace the Panthers, who finished 16-of-49 (32.7 percent) from the field, though the Panthers did hit a season-high nine three-pointers.

The Panthers remain on the road next week as ODU will take on Wayne State at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Detroit.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu