Cedarville Comes Up Short Against Ohio Dominican

by Josh Decker

The Cedarville Yellow Jackets came up short on the road against Ohio Dominican on Tuesday night, falling to the Panthers 62-57 in overtime.

The Yellow Jackets put up one of their worst shooting performances in years and were never able to establish control of the G-MAC matchup.

In the first half, the Jackets only shot 36 percent from the field, and went into the half trailing 30-23. Cedarville, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the G-MAC, was also 0-5 from deep in the first half. The halftime deficit was a result of a lack of toughness from the team, as the Yellow Jackets got out-worked by Ohio Dominican.

In the second half, Cedarville continued to be ice cold on offense, missing quite a few high-percentage layups and points in the paint.

The Yellow Jackets tied the game in regulation at 52-52 with a tip in shot by Branden Maughmer with 19 seconds left in the game before forcing the game to go to overtime with a last-second defensive stand against the Panthers.

In overtime, however, Cedarville was out-worked again, and the team was outscored 10-5 in the extra time, eventually falling to Ohio Dominican after conceding three offensive rebounds as time ran out.

Junior forward Kollin Van Horn led the way for Cedarville’s offense, finishing the night with 21 points to go with seven rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets only had two other players in double figures in the game, as Branden Maughmer and Quinton Green both chipped in 10 points.

Freshman Jayvon Maughmer contributed seven points off the bench, and sophomore Jacob Drees, despite not scoring in the game, matched his career-high of eight assists.

Perhaps the most notable shooting statistic for Cedarville was that the Yellow Jackets were 0-15 from the 3-point line. Cedarville had entered the game leading the G-MAC conference in 3-point shooting, and the performance ended a streak of 802 consecutive games making at least one triple, a streak that dated back to 1995.

Cedarville also struggled mightily from the free-throw line, especially down the stretch of the game. The team finished 9-17, or 53 percent, as a team from the line.

The Yellow Jackets will look to put the loss behind them quickly as the team continues a three-game road trip this week. Cedarville will travel to Nashville, Tennessee next to take on Trevecca on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. as the Yellow Jackets seek their second G-MAC win of the season.

Josh Decker is a junior Sport Business Management major, and a sports reporter for Cedars. He loves playing sports with friends, and spends much of his free time as a student assistant for the Cedarville men’s basketball team.