By Sports Information Intern Aaron McPherson

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 5 Ashland rallied to defeat Ohio Dominican 74-65 in a GLIAC South women's basketball contest at Alumni Hall on Thursday. The Panthers led Ashland by as many as 17, but were outscored 49-28 in the second half and 31-13 in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers (19-7, 14-6) secured their first GLIAC tournament bid on Saturday with a 75-42 win against Malone and currently sit fifth in the conference.

Ohio Dominican began the game on a 15-6 run, led by junior Madi Rittinger (Dayton, OH), who began the game with eight points on four-of-four shooting. Leading 15-8, Ohio Dominican sophomore Megan Eyre (Fayetteville, Ohio) connected on a three-point attempt assisted by sophomore Darian Rose (Fort Loramie, Ohio) with 51 seconds remaining in the quarter to give the Panthers an 18-8 lead. ODU led 18-10 at the end of one.

Leading 22-18 in the second quarter, Eyre connected on a three-pointer assisted by junior Lauren Bates (Hilliard, OH) to give the Panthers a 25-18 advantage. The shot sparked what would become a 15-2 Ohio Dominican run, with the apex coming on a jumper by junior Kayla Cook (Westerville, Ohio) with 2:20 remaining in the second quarter to give the Panthers a 37-20 lead, and ODU took a 37-25 lead into halftime.

Ohio Dominican started strong in the third quarter, holding a 45-29 edge at the 6:11 mark of the period, and the Panthers took a 52-43 lead into the fourth quarter.

But Ashland took control in the fourth, outscoring the Panthers 19-3 to begin the quarter and led 64-57 with 2:46 to go.

Trailing 67-59, Lauren Bates hit a jumper to bring the Panthers within six, 67-61 with 1:14 left. But the basket would not be enough, as Ashland extended its lead to 69-61 on the next possession, seeing its lead through to the end, defeating the Panthers 74-65.

Bates scored 15 points on six-of-nine shooting. Cook added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench on six-of-seven shooting. Rittinger scored 12 points and tied a personal season-high with five blocked shots. Eyre also made a solid contribution off the bench, finishing with nine points.

Ohio Dominican hosts Lake Erie on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. 

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu