Written Jan. 9, 2010 by Adam Prescott

ALLIANCE, OHIO – Otterbein, now 5-9 overall, scored an upset over 15th-ranked Mount Union (12-2)  Saturday afternoon, earning a 58-49 victory in the McPherson Athletic and Academic Complex in Alliance.

The win propels OC to 2-5 in Ohio Athletic Conference play, while Mount’s second-straight loss drops them to 5-2 in the league.

Otterbein began the game strong, jumping out to an 11-4 lead after senior Katy Millier buried a jumper at the 15:40 mark.

The game remained the same for the next two and a half minutes, until a Purple Raider three-pointer brought the game to 11-7 with 12:48 showing on the first half game clock.

The Cards then embarked on a 10-0 run spanning the next three minutes, capped by a layup from freshman Rachel Snedegar to give the team a 21-7 advantage.

OC would take a 30-17 lead into halftime, taking advantage of the Purple and White shooting just .200 (6 of 30) from the floor in the opening stanza.

The Cardinals carried the positive momentum into the second half, expanding the lead to 40-19 after sophomore Katie Stallard made a layup at the 15:46 mark.

Otterbein stayed in control and kept a double-digit lead until the Raiders made a late push, drawing to within 48-39 with just under three minutes to play.

Mount Union would close to just a five point deficit, but the Cards were able to withstand the late surge and eventually notch the conference victory.

The Cards were led by sophomore guard Kristi Kotterman, who shot 6-of-12 from the floor to tally a game-high 17 points. She also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists.

Senior Katy Miller and sophomore Shea McCoy contributed 12 and ten points, respectively.

Mount was paced by Rose LaMatinna’s 11 points, marking the only Purple Raider to score in double-figures.

Otterbein shot 45% from the field compared to just 27% for the hosts. OC also held a 47-35 rebounding edge.

The team next returns home to host Marietta on Wednesday evening in the Rike Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.