COLUMBUS, Ohio – Behind 33 points from Zach Szul (Waterville, Ohio) and triple-double by Alek West (Sylvania, Ohio), the Ohio Dominican men's basketball team topped Salem in double overtime Wednesday evening, 100-95.

Szul's tallied his career scoring high on eight made field goals, while also netting 13-of-16 free throw attempts. The guard added four rebounds and a pair of assists.

West recorded his second triple-double of the season, which ties him for the national lead. West registered 23 of his 28 points in the second half and overtimes, while adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Coming off the bench, Nate Webb (Lafayette, Ind.) posted a career high with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Webb made three triples and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity stripe. Caleb Strohmeier (Edwardsville, Ill.) also provided quality minutes off the bench, logging eight points and nine rebounds.

The Panthers (7-16) used a 7-0 scoring run, capped by a Webb triple, to capture a 14-10 advantage at the 11:36 mark of the first half. Salem though, utilized its edge on the glass, including 12 offensive rebounds and 11 second chance points to secure a 34-33 lead at the intermission.

ODU and Salem (16-6) played the second half within a nine-point window, which left the score tied at 66-all. West had a deep three-point look in the closing seconds of regulation but the shot went left, sending the Panthers to overtime for the first time this winter.

The Tigers opened the first overtime with a four-point play. ODU, still trailing by four points, 79-75, received a steal and layup from Mitch Wilkinson (Grand Rapids, Mich.) to cut the deficit in half with one minute remaining. After an missed jumper in the closing seconds, Strohmeier kept the Panthers alive, as his tip-in with five seconds remaining tied the game at 79-all.

Ohio Dominican rode its momentum from the end of the first overtime, scoring the first eight points of the second extra session. The Panthers pushed their advantage to as many as 11 points before coming away with the 100-95 victory. The Black & Gold shot 7-for-11 in the second overtime period.

Since the start of the 2019-20 season, ODU has now played in three double-overtime games, and are 3-0. Ohio Dominican also hit the century mark for the first time since a 107-66 win over Wright State-Lake on Feb. 8, 2020.

The Panthers are now set to return to Great Midwest Athletic Conference play when they travel to play Lake Erie at 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 12.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu