COLUMBUS, OH - Following a decisive road victory against the Arrows in Pepper Pike on Thursday night, the Ohio Dominican women's basketball team returned home to Alumni Hall to host another G-MAC opponent, the Lake Erie Storm. The Panthers weathered the Storm with ease, securing their second consecutive conference win with a dominant 83-53 performance.
KEY PERFORMERS
Mackenzie Hurd led the charge, recording her second straight double-double and her third in the last four games. Hurd reached a season-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. Three other Panthers joined her in double digits, including Jenna Shackleford, who tallied 15 points and seven rebounds while going 5-of-5 from the stripe. Sarah Ochs and Macy Chapman contributed 10 points apiece, with Chapman adding four rebounds and two assists to the stat sheet.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The contest began as a back-and-forth affair, with both squads knotted at 20-20 after the first quarter. While Lake Erie held a slight edge in shooting percentage and three-point accuracy early on, the Panthers' discipline at the free-throw line kept the game level.
Ohio Dominican began to pull away in the second quarter, building a nine-point cushion just before the half. Despite both teams shooting 33.3% in the period, ODU's efficiency from beyond the arc and continued perfection at the line gave them the advantage heading into the locker room.
By halftime, the Panthers had already accounted for 14 points in the paint and eight points on the fast break. Ohio Dominican carried that momentum into the second half and never looked back.
The offense ignited in the third quarter, shooting a game-high 53.33% from the field and hitting every attempt from three-point range. This surge allowed ODU to build a commanding 22-point lead by the end of the frame. They maintained their intensity through the final quarter, outscoring the Storm 21-13 to seal the thirty-point victory.
The Panthers finished the night shooting 42.4% from the field and an impressive 86.7% from the free-throw line, converting 26 of 30 attempts.
NEXT
Ohio Dominican remains in Columbus for their next challenge, hosting the 13-1 Thomas More Saints on January 15 at 5:30 PM.
