LEBANON, Ill. – On Friday evening, the Ohio Dominican women's basketball team took the court for the first time this season. The Panthers battled through four quarters but fell to the Bearcats of McKendree, 68-52.

Bos Score Notes

• Leading the way for the Black and Gold was Gabby Stare (Newark, Ohio) with 18 points. The senior went 7-12 from the field and 4-5 from the charity stripe. Stare grabbed three rebounds as well.
• Joining Stare in double figures was Jenna Shackleford (Newark, Ohio) with 12 points and Jazmyn Wheeler (Winfield, W. Va.) with 10. Both forwards had six rebounds and a steal.
• In her first official game back after being injured last season, junior Brynn Mullet (Berlin, Ohio) netted eight points and grabbed two rebounds. Mullet went 3-8 from the field and 2-4 from the three-point line.
• As a team, ODU recorded 11 assists with Camryn Pickerill (Seaman, Ohio) leading with four and Madelyn Fearon (Greenville, Ohio) dishing out three.

How It Happened

• In the opening quarter, the Bearcats tallied the first two buckets, before Shackleford and Wheeler netted layups, bringing it to 5-4. The traded points the rest of the quarter with McKendree leading 17-13.
• MU began the second quarter with a 10-2 run, growing their lead to 27-15. Back-to-back layups from Stare cut their deficit to eight but the Bearcats remained strong, heading into the intermission with a 37-25 lead over the Panthers.
• In the third, Stare opened with a layup, but the Purple and White answered with an 8-2 swing through the next four minutes. Shackleford, Mullet, and Pickerill added buckets through the end of the quarter, but ODU trailed 54-37 entering the final 10 minutes.
• The two went bucket-for-bucket to start the quarter. The Panthers rallied late, going on a 7-4 run, bringing their deficit to 17. Stare grabbed a three-point play in the final minute, but the Black and gold dropped their season opener, 68-52.

Up Next
Ohio Dominican plays Missouri S&T tomorrow evening at McKendree University.