COLUMBUS, Ohio – Alek West (Sylvania, Ohio) scored 20-plus points for a team-high sixth time this season, but Ohio Dominican men's basketball fell at home Thursday evening to Cedarville, 80-64.

West finished with 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The lead guard added four rebounds and a team-best four assists. 

Nate Webb (Lafayette, Ind.) scored 14 points off the bench, including three triples, while also pacing the Panthers with six rebounds. Brandon Gibson II (Dayton, Ohio) netted 5-of-7 shots to tie a career high with 13 points. 

Both sides shot 50 percent or higher in the first half, and combined to make eight of the game's first 13 field goal attempts. The hot shooting start resulted in a 9-9 stalemate five minutes in. 

West made his first six shots from the field as the Panthers enjoyed a 21-19 advantage at the 9:47 mark. Cedarville though, closed the stanza on an 18-4 run to capture a 40-28 advantage at the intermission. The Yellow Jackets shot 16-of-30 in the first half, while holding ODU to one make in its final nine field goal attempts.

The Panthers (7-18, 4-13 G-MAC) scored the first five points of the second half to cut their deficit to seven points. ODU would match that margin once more in the second half, but could not pull closer. Cedarville (15-10, 10-7 G-MAC) used a 15-6 scoring spurt to push its lead to 20 points for the first time, 71-51, with 4:39 remaining. 

Kayin Derden (Columbus, Ohio) scored eight quick points near the end of regulation to close the final gap to 16 points, 80-64. 

Ohio Dominican shot over 50 percent for the fourth time this winter, finishing the contest 27-of-53 from the field (.509). Cedarville concluded the game with a .500 clip, making 31-of-62 attempts. 

The Panthers and Yellow Jackets will conclude their home-and-home series this week in Cedarville with a 4:15 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Feb. 19.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu