The game went back and forth over the first nine minutes with two ties and 11 lead changes with MVNU (16-4, 4-3 AMC South) holding an 18-17 advantage. Then, the Cougars, who are ranked No. 6 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, went on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 27-19 with 7:48 left in the half as junior forward Jadin Thomas (left) scored five points and freshman guard Brandon Short and senior forward Evan Yates added two points apiece.

With MVNU holding a 31-26 advantage, the visiting Panthers (13-8, 4-3 AMC South) used an 11-2 run of their own to go in front 37-33 as Brian Busch and Joe Schmall both scored four points and Jim McCurdy nailed a three-pointer. A jumper by junior guard Ben Falkenberg just before the halftime buzzer cut the Ohio Dominican lead to 37-35 as the teams went to the locker rooms at the break.

Thomas led the Cougars with nine points in the first half, while Falkenberg and junior wing Andy Francis each added seven points apiece with Francis grabbing a team-high five rebounds. MVNU shot 40.5 percent from the field (15-for-37), just 20.0 percent from three-point range (3-for-15), and made both of its free throw attempts.

Busch led the Panthers with nine points and five rebounds, while Adriene Rodriguez tossed in nine points off the bench. Schmall also added eight points. Ohio Dominican shot 46.9 percent from the field (15-for-32), 37.5 percent from three-point range (3-for-8), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (4-for-5).

The Panthers extended their lead to 51-43 over the first four minutes of the second half as Busch scored nine quick points and McCurdy nailed another three-pointer to fuel a 14-8 run.

With Ohio Dominican leading 60-54 with 7:54 to play, the Cougars used a 7-1 run to knot the score at 61-61 with 5:49 remaining. Falkenberg (right) scored five points to lead the comeback, while Thomas added a basket to tie things up.

A missed dunk by Thomas at the 5:09 mark in an attempt for MVNU to take the lead resulted in a layup at the other end as the Panthers pushed their advantage back to 64-61. That would prove to be the Cougars' final attempt to take the lead.

A pair of free throws by Thomas with 4:39 to play closed the gap to 64-63, but Ohio Dominican used five offensive rebounds to go on a 7-1 run to take control 71-64 with 2:14 left.

A pair of free throws by Falkenberg and an offensive rebound and jumper by sophomore post Bryce Sanborn pulled the Cougars within 72-68 with 1:27 to go, but MVNU missed its final two field goal attempts while the Panthers went 6-for-7 at the free throw line to seal the 80-72 victory.

“We had two glaring weaknesses tonight,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. “We did not rebound on the defensive end and we struggled shooting from the perimeter. I thought our initial defense was good, but we gave up far too many offensive boards and they converted many of them.”

“We are not big at the post position, so we need to rebound as a team,” Flemming added. “That’s what we’ll be doing in practice the rest of the week. We have not lost at home in a long time. That puts the pressure on us now to get some road wins.”

Falkenberg finished with 21 points to lead the Cougars, while Thomas finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five blocked shots. Senior center Connor Gregg added 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out, and Francis contributed nine points and seven rebounds including six on the offensive end. Short also tallied eight points and four assists off the bench. MVNU shot 43.5 percent from the field (27-for-62), just 21.1 percent from three-point range (4-for-19), and 73.7 percent from the free throw line (14-for-19).

Busch led Ohio Dominican with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while McCurdy finished with 15 points including a trio of treys. Donald Suel tossed in 13 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists, and Schmall totaled 12 points and six rebounds. Rodriguez also contributed 11 points off the bench. The Panthers shot 44.8 percent from the field (26-for-58), 35.7 percent from three-point range (5-for-14), and 74.2 percent from the free throw line (23-for-31). Ohio Dominican out-rebounded the Cougars 40-33 including grabbing 18 offensive boards.

MVNU will look to bounce back on Saturday when the Cougars will travel to Wilberforce University for another AMC South Division game that will tip off at 7:30 p.m.