SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Ohio Dominican's women's basketball team couldn't hang on to a 10-point second half lead as the Panthers fell 67-61 to host Lake Superior State in a GLIAC matchup Thursday at Cooper Gym.

The Panthers led 61-58 with 2:38 left on a pair of free throws by sophomore Katelyn Stuckey (Millersburg, Ohio), but would miss their final five shots and a free throw in the closing minutes, while LSSU scored on each of its final five possessions, sinking 5-of-6 free throws in the last 38 seconds.

ODU (6-12, 2-10 GLIAC) opened up a 37-27 lead early in the second half, but Lake Superior (6-12, 2-9 GLIAC) rallied all the way back as the Panthers made just three of their first 14 shots of the half. LSSU knotted the game at 37, and after two Paige Stought (Pickerington, Ohio) free throws and an Abby Glover (Centerville, Ohio) layup, the Lakers would score the next seven to grab a 44-41 advantage with 8:49 left.

Three-pointers by senior guard Katy Rasor (Grove City, Ohio) and Stought put ODU back on top, 49-47, with just under seven to play. The lead swung back and forth over the ensuing minutes, and a three-point play by senior guard Meredith Fox (Springboro, Ohio) and a layup by Stought put ODU in front 59-56 at the 3:13 mark.

Lake Superior answered with a layup to make it 59-58, then Stuckey's free throws would represent the final tallies for ODU in the contest.

Freshman guard Kacee Hockenberry (Haviland, Ohio) surpassed her season-high in scoring in the first half alone, tallying all 18 of her points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. With the game tied at 11, Hockenberry and Fox keyed a 10-2 ODU run. Fox scored on a layup, Hockenberry hit two free throws and a three, and Fox assisted on a Snider triple as the Panthers took a 21-13 lead with 8:03 left.

The Lakers scored the next five points to make it 21-18, but Hockenberry scored eight of ODU's next nine points to help stake the Panthers to an eight-point advantage again at 30-22 with 2:08 left, and ODU would take a 33-25 lead into intermission.

Fox scored 15 points and had seven rebounds and six assists, while Stought had seven points and six boards off the bench for ODU. Maria Blazejewski scored 27 points to lead the Lakers.

ODU shot 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the floor, knocking down 8-of-23 (34.8 percent) from three-point range. The Panthers committed a season-low 10 turnovers but were outrebounded 38-30, surrendering 15 offensive boards, and the setback was ODU's first while holding a halftime lead (4-1).

Ohio Dominican remains on the road Saturday as the Panthers take on Saginaw Valley for a 1 p.m. tipoff.

Contact: Bryan Desch
deschb@ohiodominican.edu