CANTON, Ohio - The Ohio Dominican Panthers men's basketball team engaged in a defensive battle with the Malone Pioneers on Thursday (Feb. 8) at Osborne Hall. 

After a low scoring half that saw both teams held under 20 points, the Pioneers used a second half run to defeat the Panthers 57-37. 

BOX SCORE NOTES

• Sean McKitrick (Dayton, Ohio) led the Panthers with 21 points on the night. He made eight-of-23 field goals including tying a career-high five three pointers. McKitrick added a team-high seven rebounds and was tied with three blocks, a career-high for the young freshman. 
• Luke Ruth (Grove City, Ohio) had eight points with a perfect four-of-four at the free throw line. He had six rebounds and was tied with McKitrick for three rejections in the game. 
• Nate Webb (Lafayette, Indiana) and Caleb Maurer (Fort Loramie, Ohio) each added a three pointer. Webb also had one block and three rebounds with Maurer adding two boards. 
• Parker Swartz (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and Eli Meyer (Seymour, Indiana) did not score but grabbed five and four rebounds, respectively.
• The Panthers had seven blocks in the game, the most since January 21, 2023 against Walsh. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Malone scored the first six points of the game for an early lead three minutes into the game. 
• McKitrick scored seven of the next ten points as the Panthers answered the 6-0 run with a 10-0 run of their own. Ohio Dominican led 10-6 with 12:10 left in the first half. 
• After a three pointer by Malone cut the lead to one, ODU pushed the lead to five with a pair of free throws by Lachlan MacDonald and a putback by Ruth. At the halfway point of the first half, the Panthers held a 14-9 lead.
• The Pioneers went on a 8-2 run to regain a 17-16 lead before a quick three pointer from McKitrick. Both teams were knotted at 19 at the halftime break. 
• Malone scored the first 12 points in the second half and led by as many as 20 for the final score of 57-37. 

UP NEXT

• Ohio Dominican and Ashland will battle on the hardwood on Saturday (Feb. 10) inside of Kates Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM following the conclusion of the women's contest.