NORTH CANTON, Ohio – Despite 22 points each from sophomores Sean Marks (Delaware, Ohio) and Alek West (Sylvania, Ohio), the Ohio Dominican men's basketball team could not overcome a hot shooting night from Walsh, falling on the road Thursday, 86-75.

Ohio Dominican, who entered play No. 8 in the Great Midwest Points System Rating, drops to 5-13 overall and 5-12 in conference play. Walsh wins for the second time in the past three outings, improving to 9-8 overall and in the G-MAC.

INDIVIDUAL NUMBERS

• West set a new career scoring high for the third time in the past fives games, this time making 10-of-20 shots for 22 points. The sophomore guard also paced the Panthers with seven rebounds on Thursday.
• Marks topped 20 points for a team-best sixth time this season, including two of the past three outings. Marks made 7-of-13 attempts, including 4-for-10 from three-point range.
• The third starting guard for ODU, freshman Zach Szul (Waterville, Ohio), tallied 12 of his 16 points in the first half. Szul shot 7-of-10 from the field and was 2-for-3 from behind the arc.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• ODU weathered a fast-shooting start by the Cavaliers by making five of its first seven shots to take an 11-9 lead less than five minutes into the action. The Panthers pushed their advantage to as many as five points, 21-16, with 11 minutes to play in the first half.
• Walsh responded from the deficit with an 11-0 run, including three makes from deep. The Cavs led 27-21 after the spurt and did not relinquish their edge for the remainder of the contest.
• Despite a .516 shooting clip from ODU in the first half, Walsh bested the Panthers with a .654 mark. Highlighting the first half effort for WU was a 9-for-13 performance from deep (.692).
• Both teams continued their strong shooting in the second half. ODU finished the game 29-for-57, 50.9 percent, while Walsh stayed above 60 percent shooting, making 31-of-48 field goal attempts.
• The Cavaliers pushed their lead to eight points on several occasions early in the second stanza, but an 10-2 scoring run for ODU tied the game at 52-all with 13:30 to play.
• Walsh though, responded with two quick baskets to recapture the lead.  ODU could not tie the game over the final 13 minutes as Walsh pushed the advantage to double figures for the first time at the 3:40 mark, 77-66.
• ODU and Walsh made 23 total triples, combining for a .434 shooting percentage (23-53).

UP NEXT

• Ohio Dominican is set to close out the regular season at Malone on Saturday, Feb. 27. The Panthers and Pioneers are slated for a 3 p.m. start.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu