COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior Angela Troyer (Sugarcreek, Ohio) and senior Alexa Fisher (Powell, Ohio) combined for 49 points and the Ohio Dominican women's basketball team erased a fourth-quarter deficit during a 77-71 home win over Tiffin Saturday afternoon inside Alumni Hall.

Trailing by three points entering the final 10-minute period, ODU began the fourth quarter on an 8-0 scoring run, which ballooned to a 14-4 spurt to give the Panthers at 69-62 lead with 3:31 left to play. Tiffin though, rallied to tie the game, 71-71, with a three-pointer and under one-minute remaining.

Fisher responded out of a timeout with one of her three triples in the contest to put the Panthers back in front. The senior then netted three-of-four free throws down the stretch as she scored the game's final six points.

Troyer and Fisher combined for 14 of ODU's 22 fourth quarter points. Troyer paced the Panthers with a collegiate-high 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting. The junior was a perfect five-for-five shooting in the first quarter. She also pitched in five rebounds and a pair of assists.

Fisher made seven of her 16 field goal attempts en route to 21 points. She also tied a career high with eight assists, which she has now done twice in the past seven games. The senior tied a season-best with six rebounds as well.

Also providing double figures in the scoring column were senior Brittleigh Macaulay (Big Prairie, Ohio) and Kennedy Schlabach (Millersburg, Ohio). Macaulay logged 12 points and seven rebounds, while Schlabach finished with 10 points and three assists. Sophomore Alli Kern (Waterford, Ohio) provided six points, a team-high nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

An efficient shooting first quarter saw the teams combine to shoot 17-of-26 (.654) from the field. ODU though, made 10 of its 13 shots, 76.9 percent, and led 24-17 after one period. The Panthers (12-10, 7-5 G-MAC) never trailed in the frame and led by as many as nine points.

After ODU scored the opening basket of the second quarter, Tiffin (8-14, 3-9 G-MAC) rattled off nine unanswered points to tie the game at 26-all with 7:32 left before the half. Fisher stopped the Dragon run at nine points with a trey, which started three consecutive possessions for the Panthers with a field goal.

The response resulted in the Black & Gold tying their largest lead of the half, nine points, at 36-27, with less than three minutes to go in the second quarter. Troyer drained a three-pointer at the top of the key in the closing seconds and ODU took a 41-36 advantage into the break.

A Kern triple and layup from Troyer gave ODU a double-digit lead, 46-36, after the intermission, but Tiffin clawed its way back and eventually took its first lead of the game in the final minutes of the third quarter. The Dragons took a 58-55 lead into the final frame.

The Panthers continue to heat up from the field over the past several weels, as they shot over 43 percent for the fifth consecutive game. ODU made 30-of-57 shots Saturday, a .526 shooting clip. They also recorded 10 triples on 23 attempts (.435).

Ohio Dominican, a winner in seven of its last eight games, will look to keep its momentum going with a home contest against Lake Erie on Thursday, Feb. 6. The Panthers and Storm will close out a Great Midwest doubleheader inside Alumni Hall with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu