WHEELING, W.Va – The Ohio Dominican men's basketball team collected its second consecutive road win on Saturday afternoon by downing Wheeling University by the score of 78-73.

ODU benefitted off a strong shooting display from Sean Marks (Delaware, Ohio) who finished with a team-high 21 points and went 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. He along with three other Panthers finished in double figures on the afternoon. Freshman Max Stepaniak (Ross, Ohio) finished with a career-high 17 points. Teammate Alek West (Sylvania, Ohio) also finished with 17 points and shot 50 percent from the field. Guard Mitch Wilkinson (Grand Rapids, Michigan) chipped in with 10 points.

The Cardinals began the game strong, jumping out to a 21-13 advantage through the midway point of the first half. The lead would get as large as nine points before the Panthers orchestrated a 6-0 run to trim the lead to just three points following a three-point field goal from Wilkinson with 5:50 remaining in the first half.

A three-pointer from Marks with 98 seconds to go in the first half tied the game at 34-34 but Wheeling answered as Jordan Reid converted a layup to give the hosts the advantage heading into the locker room.

West got the Black and Gold rolling out of the locker room with a make from beyond the arc to give the visitors their first lead of the contest. The Cardinals would recapture the lead momentarily, but the Panthers would go on to enjoy a 15-2 run and lead by as many as 16 points through the midway point of the second half.

Wheeling wouldn't go quietly as the hosts created an impressive 13-3 scoring run of their own to get the lead down to as little as four points with 31 seconds left. Wilkinson, Stepaniak, and West combined to score insurances baskets for the visitors as they lifted the Black and Gold to their second consecutive victory.

UP NEXT

The Black and Gold get to enjoy some time off but return to action on New Year's Day, battling Kentucky Wesleyan College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:15 PM.

Contact: Ralph Schudel
schudelr@ohiodominican.edu