ALLIANCE — The Ohio Northern women's basketball team came up on the wrong side of a 77-58 decision in its Ohio Athletic Conference-opening contest at Mount Union on Saturday.
Both teams entered at 5-0 as the Polar Bears fall to 5-1 overall and 0-1 in OAC play and the Purple Raiders improve to 6-0, 1-0 on the season.
Senior Jenna Dirksen had 11 points and was 4-for-5 from the field to lead the ONU offense.
Next game: 7 p.m. Wednesday at home against Wilmington
Heaven’s angels are receiving a very special child today. Brittani Ann Shields, age 28, died on Friday, November 30, 2018 at 5:43 p.m. at her residence in Springfield, Ohio.
She was born December 5, 1989 in Lima, Ohio to Larry G. Shields and Annette (DeLong) Shields, also cared for and loved by Bradley Pope. Her father survives in Roundhead and her mother and daddy Bradley Pope survive in Springfield.
RIDGEWAY - The Ada boys basketball team fought back from a big deficit, but ran out of gas and lost 59-50 at Hardin County rival Ridgemont Friday night in the season tip-off for both clubs.
The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 15 in the second period but chipped away methodically to build a 40-37 lead in the third quarter.
But a rare four-point play by Gopher freshman Landon Newland gave youth-laden Ridgemont the lead back and they never relinquished it, ending the contest on a 22-10 run.
Ohio Northern will open OAC play when Mount Union comes to the ONU Sports Center on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest. ONU has won its last four OAC openers, including an 86-84 win at Capital last year. The Polar Bears are coming off a thrilling 65-62 victory at Thomas More (Ky.) on Wednesday.
Ohio Northern will host the 38th annual ONU Wrestling Invitational on Saturday at the ONU Sports Center Fieldhouse ... 12 schools are expected to join ONU in the tournament, which will be a flighted, double-elimination event with the standard 10 NCAA weight classes ... NCAA Division III schools Adrian (Mich.), Alma (Mich.), Heidelberg, Mount Saint Joseph, Muskingum, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, Thomas More (Ky.), Trine (Ind.), Washington & Lee (Va.) and Wilmington and NCAA Division II foe Tiffin are expected to join Ohio Northern at the event.
