Written by Sports Information Intern Tyler Jester

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Dominican women's basketball team could not hold off visiting Ashland late as the Panthers fell 53-50 in overtime in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup on Thursday night.

With the loss, the Panthers fell to 10-14 overall and 7-13 in the GLIAC. The Eagles improved to 16-8 overall and 14-6 in the GLIAC.

A three-pointer by junior guard Micaela Liddane (Grosse Pointe, MI) sparked an 8-0 run by the Panthers to give them a 44-38 lead with 3:00 remaining in the game. The Eagles, though, were able to come back and tie the game with two free throws with 39.5 seconds remaining.

After a block by forward Madi Rittinger (Dayton, OH) with five seconds remaining, the Panthers rushed down the court and were fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining. After a timeout, sophomore forward Melissa Scherpenberg (Cincinnati, OH) was able to get free for a ten-footer which just rolled off the rim, sending the game to overtime.

Ashland was able to score the first four points of the overtime session, but after a three pointer from freshman guard Tori Beth Leader (West Portsmouth, OH), the Panthers trailed 51-50 with 30 seconds remaining in OT.

But two free throws by the Eagles gave them a 53-50 lead, and ODU missed its final two shot attempts in the waning seconds.

Scherpenberg led the Panthers as she recorded a double-double with 15 points and 19 rebounds. Leader added 11 points and five rebounds, while Rittinger chipped in with eight points and 11 rebounds.

The Panthers got off to a strong start defensively, forcing five turnovers in the first five minutes as they took a 7-2 lead with 15:29 remaining in the first half.

Ashland was able to fight back and took their first lead of the game at the 8:40 mark, but it was short lived as Scherpenberg tied the game with a mid range jumper making the score 15-15 with 7:05 remaining in the opening half.

Both teams continued to play strong defensively as the Eagles outscored the Panthers 6-5 over the final seven minutes to take a one point lead into halftime with the score 21-20.

The Panthers took their first lead since the 10:20 mark of the first half with a three pointer from junior guard Kacee Hockenberry (Haviland, OH) with a score of 25-23 with 17:48 remaining.

With the score tied 29-29, the Eagles regained the lead with a 5-0 run to give them their largest lead of the game with the score 34-29 but the Panthers answered with a 7-2 run to tie the game 36-36 with 6:30 remaining.

The Panthers played strong defensively, holding the Eagles to 32.8% from the field, but the Panthers also struggled shooting, going 20-70 from the field and going 4-14 from the foul line.

ODU looks to bounce back Saturday as they host Lake Erie College in the final home game of the season on Saturday, February 22, 2014. Tip-off will be at 1:00p.m. in Alumni Hall.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu