The host Panthers (18-10, 9-5 AMC South) roared out to a 17-4 lead to start the game as Donald Suel scored the first eight points, Brian Busch added four points, and Jim McCurdy hit a three-pointer to give Ohio Dominican the early edge with five and a half minutes gone by.

An 18-9 run by MVNU (22-6, 9-5 AMC South), which is ranked No. 17 in the latest NAIA Division II poll, pulled the Cougars within 26-22 at the 8:02 mark. Junior guard Ben Falkenberg came off the bench to nail a pair of three-pointers while junior guard Dan Borcherdt and junior forward Jadin Thomas (left) each drilled a trey apiece.

However, the Panthers answered with seven more points from Suel and five points from Busch as Ohio Dominican built its lead back to as much as 37-25 before settling for a 38-29 halftime lead.

Thomas led MVNU with nine points, four rebounds, and four assists in the first half, while Falkenberg and senior post Connor Gregg each added six points apiece with Gregg grabbing four rebounds. The Cougars shot just 34.4 percent from the field (11-for-32), 35.7 percent from three-point range (5-for-14), and made both of their free throw attempts.

Suel paced the Panthers with 15 first-half points, while Busch registered nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists. McCurdy also drilled a pair of three-pointers for six points off the bench, while Joe Schmall had six points, five rebounds, and four blocked shots. Ohio Dominican shot 51.7 percent from the field (15-for-29), 50.0 percent from three-point range (5-for-10), and 75.0 percent from the free throw line (3-for-4). The Panthers also had a 20-15 rebounding advantage.

Ohio Dominican pushed its lead back to 47-35 in the first two-plus minutes of the second half as Suel, McCurdy, and Sonny Stattmiller each drilled a three-pointer.

However, MVNU began to slowly chip away at the lead as the Cougars used an 18-6 run to knot the score at 53-53 with 11:13 left in the game. Freshman guard Brandon Short (right), who was making just his fourth college start, scored 10 points to fuel the comeback.

The Panthers finally broke a four-minute scoring drought by going on an 8-1 run to regain the lead 61-54 with 8:10 remaining.

MVNU pulled within 62-58 on a jumper by Thomas with 5:56 to go. However, that would be as close as the Cougars would get the rest of the way as MVNU went just 3-for-19 from the field the rest of the way and 4-for-8 at the free throw line as Ohio Dominican posted the 82-69 to sweep the season series.

“We had a pretty good effort here this afternoon,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. “We did a great job on the boards especially on the offensive end. Our zone was effective in the second half when we made our run. The main problem was that we struggled to shoot the ball not only from the perimeter but also around the basket. We’ve had a very good regular season, but this is disappointing right now. Now, we get ready for postseason play.”

Thomas led the Cougars with 19 points on 6-of-22 shooting that included a 1-for-9 showing from three-point range. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and handed out a career-high five assists. Gregg finished with 14 points as he went 7-for-8 from the field, while Short contributed 10 points. Junior wing Andy Francis had eight points and six rebounds, and Falkenberg, who did not start due to being sick, was held to eight points, five assists, and four rebounds. MVNU shot 38.0 percent from the field (27-for-71), 23.1 percent from three-point range (6-for-26) including going just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc in the second half, and 56.2 percent from the free throw line (9-for-16). The Cougars did win the battle of the boards 46-38 including a 23-11 advantage on the offensive end.

Suel paced the Panthers with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Busch posted a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Adriene Rodriguez added 11 points off the bench, and McCurdy tossed in nine points with a trio of treys. Schmall also contributed eight points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Ohio Dominican shot 42.9 percent from the field (24-for-56), 40.9 percent from three-point range (9-for-22), and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (25-for-30).

MVNU must now wait to see who it will play in the first round of the AMC Tournament that gets under way on Thursday. The Cougars could be seeded as high as No. 2 or as low as No. 6. The No. 2 seed will have a bye on Thursday, while seeds No. 3 and No. 4 will host first-round games. The information will be posted on the MVNU website as it becomes available. The final NAIA Division II poll will also come out on Wednesday afternoon and that poll is used to determine any at-large berths into the NAIA Division II National Tournament.