COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Dominican Panthers men's basketball team will go on the road for three of the next four games, starting with appearances in the Canton and Ashland area this week. 

After four straight home games, the Panthers will face the Malone Pioneers on Thursday (Feb. 8) at 7:30 PM with a trip to Ashland to see the Eagles on Saturday (Feb. 10) at 3:00 PM. 

OPENING TIPOFF

• In the finale of a four-game home stretch, Ohio Dominican fell 89-72 to the Findlay Oilers on Monday night inside Alumni Hall. The Panthers enter the week at 4-14 overall and 1-10 in the G-MAC with nine games to go in the regular season. 
• Luke Ruth (Grove City, Ohio) scored 18 points against Findlay with a career-high eight assists. The freshman is scoring 21.7 points, 6.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds with a .596 (28-47) field goal % in February. This month, Ruth is second in assists and third in scoring for the G-MAC. With 14 straight games in double-figures this season, Ruth has shot at least 50% ten times on that streak. 
• Sean McKitrick (Dayton, Ohio) led the team with 19 points on Monday, his eighth game as the leading scorer. With eight free throws made of nine attempts against Findlay, he has four games with at least five free throws made. 
• Parker Swartz (Grand Rapids, Michigan) continued his current streak of scoring at least ten points with 11 points. Over the last four games, he is averaging 13.5 points per game and has at least two three pointers in every game. During that stretch, he is ten-of-18 from deep. 
• Nate Webb (Lafayette, Indiana) added ten points and five rebounds against the Oilers for his fourth game in double-figures. So far in February, Webb is averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game with a .500 field goal % (12-24) and a .412 three point % (7-17). He is tied with Swartz for most threes in the month of Febuary.
• Caleb Maurer (Fort Loramie, Ohio) has given the Panthers 3.3 points off the bench in his gradual incline in the rotation. He scored five points for the second straight game. 
• Lachlan MacDonald (Dublin, Ohio) is scoring 5.0 points per game with 3.0 assists since returning from injury on Saturday. 
• Malone and Ohio Dominican split the 2022-23 season series with each team winning at home.  the Pioneers are 14-6 against the Panthers as they have won nine of ten games inside Osborne Hall on Malone's campus. Head coach Casey Kaufman will be on the visiting bench at Malone for the first time after leading the Pioneers for the last eight years as HC. 
• The Panthers have won three of the 20 matchups in the D2 era against the Ashland Eagles. The Eagles have taken the last six contests, dating back to February 2017 and have taken all nine games at Kates Gymnasium. 
• ODU has 27 three pointers in February, tied for the second most among the conference. The Panthers made 11 threes against Findlay. 

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

• Malone is currently sitting at 10-12 overall and 3-11 in the G-MAC under first-year head coach Charlie Wallrapp. 
• The Pioneers went 7-1 in non-conference play with a perfect 5-0 at home. G-MAC play has been a struggle for the 'Neers as they have lost 11 of 14 games so far. Malone picked up wins over Hillsdale, Tiffin and Northwood this season. 
• They have dropped two straight games since a 92-60 win against Northwood. 
• Eight of the conference games have been within ten points, regardless of win or loss. 
• Simon Blair is the top scorer for the Pioneers with 17.6 points which ranks fifth in the conference. He averages 4.2 assists, the fourth best mark among the G-MAC players. Blair is the leader in the G-MAC for free throw %, also 14th in D2 (.918) and leads the Pioneers with 40 three pointers. 
• Aaron Badibo is second in the team with 14.8 points but paces the Pioneers with 8.1 rebounds (4th in the league). He sits tenth in the G-MAC with a .489 field goal %, including 35 three pointers. 
• Tre Baumgardner III scored 11.7 points per game in his three games. 
• Malone averages 70.0 points per game on offense while allowing 69.1 points per game on defense. The Pioneers are shooting .445 overall and .330 from deep.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

• Ashland is 15-6 overall and 9-5 within the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. 
• With a 9-5 conference record, the Eagles are locked in a logjam in the middle of the standings as play hits February. There are eight teams within two games in the loss column, including three teams with four and five losses each. 
• Ashland is 9-2 at home this season, dropping two home contests after a 7-0 start at Kates. 
• They have won three straight games with wins over Thomas More, Northwood and Lake Erie.
• Simon Wheeler, the reigning G-MAC Athlete of the Week, is scoring 17.0 points per game with 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals. He is 2nd in the G-MAC in assists, third in steals and sixth in scoring. 
• Victor Searls ranks tenth in scoring with 15.5 points with a team-high 6.6 rebounds (9th most). He is shooting .699 from the floor, the highest mark in the G-MAC. 
• Maceo Williams is 4th in Division II and second in the G-MAC with a .670 field goal %. He scores 15.4 points per game with 6.5 rebounds as well. 
• Ashland tallies 78.3 points per game scoring while giving up 72.5 points per game on defense. They are shooting the 5th best field goal % in the country (.510) with a three point % of .347.