COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's women's basketball team had its chances late but couldn't convert in the final three minutes, dropping a 59-55 GLIAC contest to visiting Lake Superior State Thursday night in Alumni Hall.

Sophomore forward Melissa Scherpenberg (Cincinnati, Ohio) had her second-consecutive 19-point, nine-rebound effort, and junior guard Kacee Hockenberry (Haviland, Ohio) added 14 points in the setback.

ODU rallied from a 49-41 second half deficit to take a 53-52 lead with 2:34 to play, but missed its final four field goal attempts and also a trio of free throws in the final two and a half minutes to fall to 4-7 (1-6 GLIAC).

In the first half, ODU found itself trailing 10-7 in the opening five minutes, but used a 12-2 run to grab a 19-12 advantage. Hockenberry and Scherpenberg accounted for all 12 points during the run, with Hockenberry's pull-up jumper on the right wing on the break giving the Panthers the seven-point cushion at the 10:20 mark.

The Lakers rallied and regained the lead, 22-21, with just over three minutes left in the half, but the Panthers scored the final six points of the frame. Sophomore forward Alex Hallenbeck (St. Johns, Mich.) and freshman forward Madi Rittinger (Dayton, Ohio) each scored in the paint, and a pair of Rittinger free throws with 46 seconds left sent the Panthers into the break with a 27-22 advantage.

Scherpenberg scored 11 of ODU's first 15 points in the half.

ODU kept a six-point lead early into the second half, as Scherpenberg made a layup and Hockenberry hit a jumper in the paint to make it 33-27 with 16 minutes left.

But the Lakers responded with a 20-6 spurt, grabbing a 47-39 lead with 10:09 left on a three-point play and consecutive three-pointers.

Rittinger stopped the run with a reverse layup, and freshman guard Kayla Cook (Westerville, Ohio) hit a deep jumper, followed by two free throws by freshman guard Lauren Bates (Hilliard, Ohio).

Cook sank two more free throws to cut the deficit to 49-47, and a Hockenberry layup and another jumper by Cook from the left wing tied the game at 51 with just over five minutes left.

After a Laker free throw, Cook then hit a short jumper in the paint which put ODU back in front 53-52 with 2:30 to play.

LSSU answered with a pair of free throws, and after several ODU missed shots, hit two more free throws to take a 56-53 lead with 50 seconds left.

Hockenberry split a pair of free throws with 36 seconds left, and the Lakers answered with a free throw of their own to retake a 57-54 lead with 10 seconds to play. Hockenberry drew another foul with 3.5 seconds left, made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second, but ODU could not control the rebound and LSSU closed the game with two free throw makes.

The Panthers had a 43-34 edge in rebounding and scored 24 points off of 17 Laker turnovers, but managed to shoot just 34.5 percent (19-of-55) from the field.

Ohio Dominican plays host to Northwood at 1 p.m. Saturday in Alumni Hall.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu