COLUMBUS - On a rainy Thursday (Feb. 16) night on Sunbury Road, the Ohio Dominican Panthers men's basketball team battled the Storm in a couple of different ways - both literally and figuratively. The Panthers hosted the Lake Erie Storm on a night that featured a Play4Kay game for the Panthers. 

After falling behind early in the first half, the Panthers made a second half run but fell to the Storm, 70-57. 

BOX SCORE NOTES

• For the 15th time this season and 32nd time in his career, Zach Szul (Waterville, Ohio) led the Panthers in the scoring column. Szul finished with 19 points after scoring ten points in the opening half of play. The junior was eight-of-17 shooting and three-of-six at the free throw line. He added two rebounds and two steals. 
• Jarius Jones (Gahanna, Ohio) scored in double figures for his 14th game as he scored 18 points. Jones made eight-of-13 shots from the floor with two free throws. On the rebounding front, he led all Panthers with six boards - the eighth time he was the category leader. He had two of ODU's five blocks in the game. Jones scored ten points in the second half following eight points in the first period. 
• Keshawn Heard (Newark, Ohio) came to life in the second half for ten points overall with eight points coming late in the game. He ended the night four-of-seven shooting with a pair of threes. He grabbed five rebounds and blocked one shot. 
• Ethan Haynes (Florence, Kentucky) made one three pointer to go with four rebounds. 
• Mitch Wilkinson (Grand Rapids, Michigan) returned to play after missing the last 19 games. Wilkinson tallied one three pointer, four rebounds and a block in 20 minutes off the bench. 
• The Panthers shot 42.9% (24-56) to outshot the Storm, who ended with a 41.8% (23-55) field goal percentage. 
• After hitting eight threes in the first half, Lake Erie won the three-point category with 11 threes to ODU's four. 
• The rebounding battle was close as the Storm had 33 rebounds to 32 for the Panthers, with both teams having six offensive rebounds. 
• Ohio Dominican blocked five shots for the fifth time this season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Panthers struck first with a 2-0 lead on the first bucket of the night and pushed the lead to 6-3 on baskets by Heard and Sean Marks (Delaware, Ohio) with 16:50 left in the first half.
• A trio of Lake Erie threes started a 9-0 run that expanded into a 32-7 spurt to put Lake Erie ahead 35-13, the largest deficit of the night with 5:37 to go in the first period. 
• Jones scored the next six points on a mini 6-0 run as the lead was trimmed to 16 points. He scored eight of the final 11 points for ODU as they trailed 44-24 at halftime. 
• Heard opened the second half with a three of his own before Jones continued his tear. He scored the next ten Panther points as the Black and Gold got the lead to 16, 53-37 with 12:33 left in the game. 
• After two Storm free throws, ODU went on a 7-0 run with four points from Szul and another Heard three pointer for a 13-point deficit at 57-44. 
• Lake Erie pushed the lead to 16 twice before ODU made one last push with a Haynes three and an old-fashioned three point play by Szul to get within ten points, 62-52 with 5:07 left. 
• Ohio Dominican could not get any closer, falling 70-57 to the Storm. 

UP NEXT

Ohio Dominican will travel to Northwood on Saturday (Feb. 18) to take on the Timberwolves in Midland, Michigan - beginning at 3:00 PM. 

Contact: Tyler Stotsky
stotskyt@ohiodominican.edu