Radio Call of Torey's Go-Ahead Basket

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – A three-point play by freshman guard Rachael Torey (Sterling Heights, Mich.) gave Ohio Dominican's women's basketball team a late lead, and the Panthers came up with several defensive stops to defeat Lake Superior 63-61 in GLIAC play Thursday night.

The win snapped a six-game skid for the Panthers, who improved to 4-6 (1-6 GLIAC). The host Lakers fell to 3-8 (2-5 GLIAC).

In a contest that featured eight ties and 14 lead changes, the majority coming in the second half, it was ODU who came up with the big plays late to secure the win.

Trailing 61-59 after a Laker three-pointer with 1:59 left, Torey drove to the basket, made the layup and drew a foul, finishing the three-point play and putting ODU in front 62-61 with 1:40 left.

The Lakers had two chances to take the lead, but missed a jump shot and had a three-pointer rim out. After a Panther turnover, freshman forward Melissa Scherpenberg (Cincinnati, Ohio) blocked a Laker layup with 12 seconds to play. The ball went out of bounds off of LSSU, giving the ball back to ODU.

Sophomore guard Kacee Hockenberry (Haviland, Ohio) then drew a foul and split a pair of free throws with 7.9 seconds left, and Lake Superior's last second three-pointer was off target as ODU came away with the 63-61 victory.

That sequence capped off a back-and-forth second half, with both teams starting slowly on the offensive end to begin the second half before action picked up five minutes into the frame. Three-point plays by junior forward Stuckey and Torey put ODU back in front 38-37 with 12:46 left, its first lead since the 13:21 mark of the first half.

The lead swung back-and-forth in the ensuing minutes. Sophomore guard Erin Miller (London, Ohio) drilled a three to give ODU a 43-41 edge, and Torey broke a 45-45 tie with an uncontested layup, but Lake Superior answered with five straight to go on top 50-47.

Freshman forward Alex Hallenbeck (St. Johns, Mich.) answered with a layup, and an outlet pass by Torey found Hockenberry for a layup that briefly gave ODU a 51-50 lead at the 6:50 mark.

The Lakers went on another brief run to go on top 56-53, but Scherpenberg sank two free throws and Hockenberry knocked down an elbow jump shot in transition that put ODU in front 57-56 with 3:25 left.

Lake Superior would then hit a pair of baskets that gave the hosts their final lead at 61-59 to set up Torey's dramatics.

In the first half, Lake Superior went on a mini 6-0 run to take a 17-11 advantage at the 6:56 mark. Freshman forward Morgan Cnudde (Corunna, Mich.) answered with a triple from the right corner, and three free throws by Liddane and Stuckey and a short jumper by sophomore guard Micaela Liddane (Grosse Point Woods, Mich.) brought the Panthers back to within a point 21-20 with 3:07 to play.

The Lakers hit a pair of three-pointers in the closing minutes of the half, but another Cnudde jump shot and a last-second layup by Torey brought ODU to within a point, 29-28, at intermission.

The Panthers shot a season-high 50 percent from the field (24-of-48) and won for the first time after trailing at the break. ODU also held a 35-26 edge on the glass, moving to 4-0 when outrebounding its opponents this season.

Stuckey and Hockenberry both finished with 13 points, while Torey scored a season-best 12 points off the bench. Liddane chipped in with nine points and Cnudde scored a season-high eight points, all in the first half.

Hallenbeck had a season-high nine rebounds and Scherpenberg had eight rebounds as well.

Ohio Dominican concludes its GLIAC crossover schedule with a 3 p.m. contest at Northwood on Saturday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu