COLUMBUS, Ohio – A driving layup by sophomore guard Kacee Hockenberry (Haviland, Ohio) with 15 seconds left lifted Ohio Dominican's women's basketball team to a 49-47 non-conference victory over visiting Salem International Tuesday night in Alumni Hall.

Down 47-46 after a pair of SIU free throws with less than two minutes left, ODU missed a pair of shots, but came up with two defensive stops to get the ball back with 33 seconds left. Hockenberry took the ball at the top of the key, spun left and finished to give the Panthers a 48-47 lead.

Sophomore guard Paige Stought (Pickerington, Ohio) then made the defensive play of the game, sliding over under the basket to draw a charge with eight seconds left.

Freshman forward Melissa Scherpenberg (Cincinnati, Ohio) was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and sank one of two free throws, and Hockenberry hounded SIU guard Desiree Dwyer, forcing a missed jumper as time expired.

The tightly contested game featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes, with both offenses struggling to find a rhythm. The Panthers shot 33.3 percent (18-of-54) for the contest and committed 24 turnovers, while the Tigers shot 38.0 percent (19-of-50) and also turned the ball over 24 times.

Three players scored in double figures for ODU, led by junior forward Katelyn Stuckey (Millersburg, Ohio) with 12 points and seven rebounds. Hockenberry had 11 points, while freshman guard Rachael Torey (Sterling Heights, Mich.) stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, five rebounds and five steals. Scherpenberg chipped in with nine points and 10 rebounds.

SIU jumped to a 16-9 lead just over eight minutes into play, but ODU answered with seven straight, including a three-pointer by sophomore guard Micaela Liddane (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) and layups by Torey and Scherpenberg. ODU would take a 26-22 lead into the half after a Hockenberry layup and a pair of Torey free throws.

ODU took its biggest lead of the game at 30-24 early in the second half, but SIU came back with an 8-0 run to go in front 32-30 with 10:24 left. Neither team, in fact, would lead by more than two points over the final 12 minutes of the contest, as there were seven ties and 11 lead changes in that stretch alone.

The Panthers went on top 47-46 on a Scherpenberg baseline jumper, off a feed from Hockenberry, with 2:15 left, before the SIU free throws gave them their final lead with 1:52 to go.

The Panthers, winners of seven straight non-conference games, take on Urbana in a road tilt at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu