COLUMBUS, Ohio – A cold shooting first half proved too much for Ohio Dominican's women's basketball team to overcome as the Panthers fell 63-47 to Northern Michigan Sunday afternoon in GLIAC action.

The Panthers, who shot 33.3 percent from the field overall, fell to 4-8 (1-5 GLIAC), while the Wildcats improved to 6-4 (4-2 GLIAC).

ODU got off to a sluggish start shooting the ball, missing 15 of its first 16 attempts from the field as NMU built a 14-4 lead over the opening 10 minutes. ODU trailed 25-12 with 3:25 left, but layups by sophomore Madi Rittinger (Dayton, Ohio) and junior forward Melissa Scherpenberg (Cincinnati, Ohio) and a triple by senior guard Micaela Liddane (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) from the left wing cut it to 25-19 with 1:38 to play.

The Wildcats scored the final five points of the half, though, and took a 30-19 lead into the break as ODU shot just 24.1 percent from the field, compared to 50 percent for Northern Michigan, in the opening 20 minutes.

ODU trimmed the deficit to 35-31 five minutes into the second half, hitting five of its first seven shots from the field. The Panthers stayed within five, 44-39 with 10:11 left after a Scherpenberg layup, but the Wildcats scored the next four points and ODU would draw no closer than seven down the stretch.

Scherpenberg had nine points and seven rebounds and senior guard Kacee Hockenberry (Haviland, Ohio) also scored nine points. Liddane had eight points with five assists and Rittinger tallied seven points and nine rebounds.

Ohio Dominican hits the road to take on Lake Superior State at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu