Panthers Hang On Down the Stretch, Defeat Dragons

Panthers Hang On Down the Stretch, Defeat Dragons

TIFFIN, Ohio - Tiffin men's basketball fell into a double-digit hole early in the second-half and could not recover as Ohio Dominican defeated the Dragons 83-69 on Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, the Dragons fall to 7-13 overall and 3-9 in the conference.

Tiffin had one of their lowest shooting outputs of the year, going 25-64 (39.1%) from the field and just 4-24 (16.7%) from deep. TU was also outrebounded 46-37, but forced more turnovers (12-11) than they gave up.

Joshua Williams led the Dragons with 19 points, including a perfect 6-6 from the foul line, while Austin Adams added 13 points and Thomas Hickman recorded 12 points, four steals, and three assists off the bench.

Tiffin fell behind early, but was able to come back and tie the game at 19 on a Hickman old-fashioned three-point play at the 9:59 mark of the first-half. The Panthers responded with seven unanswered, however, and held that margin until a Waldon jumper and Williams triple made it 32-30 in favor of the visitors with just over three minutes to play in the half. 

TU came close to retaking the lead a few times over the final few minutes of the period, but Ohio Dominican kept answering with buckets of their own and took a four-point lead, 43-39, into halftime.

Tiffin stayed within five at the 15:18 mark as Hunter Schmalz buried a three, but the Panthers were able to extend their lead out to 12, 62-50, with 12 minutes to play in the game. 

A Hickman steal and two-handed jam seemed to tilt the momentum back in the Dragons' favor as it brought the home team within six with just under ten minutes to go, but an ensuing 12-4 run by Ohio Dominican was able to stifle the comeback. The Panthers would eventually lead by 14 before it was over, taking the 83-69 win.

The Dragons are back in action this Thursday as they head to Hillsdale to take on a Charger squad that is currently tied for first in the G-MAC standings. The game marks the beginning of a five-game road swing for Tiffin, as they will not return to Old Fort Bank Court until Feb. 21.