COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Dominican men's basketball team received 17-point performances from three different players en route to a 76-66 road win at Findlay Saturday afternoon in Great Midwest action. 

The Panthers led for 38:42 of the 40 minute contest, with their five starting players contributing 70 of the team's 76 points. Ohio Dominican earned its first win the series against Findlay since March 2, 2018, a tournament semifinal road win en route to ODU's first G-MAC championship. The win for ODU is just its third over the Oilers in its Division II era and snaps a five-game losing skid in the series. 

Mitch Wilkinson (Grand Rapids, Mich.) scored a career-high 17 points, engineered by five makes from behind the arc. Zach Szul (Waterville, Ohio) and Alek West (Sylvania, Ohio) also scored 17 points in the win, with each adding six rebounds. Szul pitched in three steals, while West led ODU with eight assists. 

Scoring all 10 of his points in the second half was Max Stepaniak (Ross, Ohio). ODU's fifth starter, Sean Marks (Delaware, Ohio), posted nine points, five rebounds and five assists. 

Overall, the Panthers (2-8, 1-3 G-MAC) enjoyed an advantage in field goal percentage, shooting .464 while holding UF to a .404 clip. The Panthers also tied a season high with 12 triples.

After conceding the opening basket of the game, ODU scored 12 of the next 14 points, a run capped by a Marks three-pointer at the 11:07 mark of the first half. The Black & Gold defense forced Findlay (5-5, 1-3 G-MAC) into just two makes in its first 13 field goal attempts. 

ODU did not trail for the remainder of the game and grew its first half lead to as many as 10 points, 30-20, with 3:31 showing on the game clock. The Oilers though, finished the first half with the final six points to close the Panther lead to 30-26 at the break. 

The Panthers' five starters scored all 46 team points in the second half, and a 9-0 run, capped by a West trey gave them a 51-41 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Findlay closed the gap to one possession three times in the final 10 minutes, but each time, ODU scored on its following offensive possession to deny any comeback by the home team. 

After not attempting a free throw in the first half, and making just two of its first eight tries in the second half, ODU closed the game strong at the charity stripe. The Panthers made their final 10 shots at the line, including a 6-for-6 effort in the final minute.

Ohio Dominican will now break from G-MAC play and close out the 2021 calendar year with a non-conference game at Wheeling. The Panthers and Cardinals are scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 18.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu