COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the second consecutive game, Ohio Dominican women's basketball had two players reach 20 points as the team defeated Lake Erie at home Thursday evening, 63-54.

The Panthers, now winners of four straight and eight of their last nine outings, improve to 13-10 overall and 8-5 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play. ODU has now won four consecutive games on three separate occasions this season. With the loss, Lake Erie falls to 8-14 overall and 5-7 in the G-MAC.

Junior Angela Troyer (Sugarcreek, Ohio) and sophomore Kennedy Schlabach (Millersburg, Ohio) each tallied 20 points and combined for 63 percent of ODU's scoring. Troyer has now totaled 20 or more points in four of the past six outings and added four rebounds and three steals against the Storm. Schlabach's scoring mark was a season high on 7-of-13 shooting. The sophomore also posted four assists and a pair of steals.

Flirting with a double-double was senior Brittleigh Macaulay (Big Prairie, Ohio), who finished with nine points and nine rebounds. The senior pitched in three assists and two steals as well. Off the bench, junior Oliva Fox (Newark, Ohio) tied a career high with four assists, while also registering five rebounds and four points in 18 minutes of action.

The Panthers, who had shot over 50 percent in their past two outings, came out cold in the first quarter, making 3-of-13 field goal attempts. ODU went over four minutes without a field goal midway through the frame and trailed Lake Erie after 10 minutes of play, 15-9.

The Black & Gold though, responded with eight makes on 11 shots (.727) in the second quarter, a period they outscored the Storm 20-7. A 10-2 ODU run, including a 7-0 spurt, put the them in front 23-20 with just over four minutes remaining in the half. Schlabach had seven of her 10 first half points during the run.

To go along with its strong shooting in the second quarter, ODU held LEC to a .273 clip and took a seven-point lead into the break, 29-22.

The third quarter saw both sides trade mini scoring runs, but the Panthers did not trail in the stanza. Lake Erie cut the deficit to one point near the midway mark, but ODU pushed its advantage back to seven at 44-37 with 10 minutes left to play.

Troyer and Schlabach scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter, extending ODU's lead to 12 points, 49-37, for its largest lead of the contest. Lake Erie rallied to close the gap to four points before the Panthers sealed the victory by making six-of-eight free throws down the stretch.

The Black & Gold ended the game 16-of-20 at the charity stripe, 80 percent, and shot .404 (21-52) from the field. Lake Erie was held to a .367 overall shooting clip (18-49). The Panthers also turned 18 Storm giveaways into 17 points.

Ohio Dominican will look to keep its late-season run going with another home game on Saturday, Feb. 8, when the team welcomes Ursuline to Alumni Hall for a 3 p.m. tip-off.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu