Written Feb. 22, 2010 by Adam Prescott

ALLIANCE, OHIO –  Seventh-seeded Otterbein (11-15) started strong but eventually fell victim to second-seeded and 25th-ranked Mount Union (22-4) by a score of 59-56 Tuesday evening in the first round of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Cards opened strong, jumping out to an early 13-3 lead at the 15:07 mark after five straight points from freshman Rachel Snedegar.

A jumper from sophomore Natalie Conkle and a fast-break layup from senior Katy Miller put the Cards ahead 17-3 with 13:22 remaining in the opening half, and OC took a 23-5 advantage two and a half minutes later after a floater in the lane from senior Karli Volkmer.

The Raiders came exploding out of a timeout, going on a 21-2 run to take a 26-25 lead a few minutes before intermission.

Otterbein did its best to weather the storm, and a Volkmer three-pointer with two seconds left in the half allowed the Cardinals to take a 33-28 margin into the break.

Similar to the first matchup between the two schools, Mount Union shot poorly in the first 20 minutes, going just 9-of-38 (.237).

The Cardinals turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, many of which coming during the Raiders spurt.

Volkmer and Miller each scored nine for OC by the half, while Rosa LaMatinna dropped nine for Mount.

A Mount Union layup from Tessa Pohovey evened the game at 38-38 with 12:30 to play, but the Cards scored the next six to go back on top 44-38.

The Purple and White tied the game again, this time at 46-46 after a LaMatinna pull-up jumper on a fast-break with 5:43 showing on the game clock.

Mount then took its first lead of the second stanza with three and a half minutes to play, but a free-throw from Otterbein’s Shea McCoy on the other end quickly tied the game at 50-50.

LaMatinna then stole a Cardinal Pass for a breakaway layup, and made another steal and a behind-the-back save on the ensuing Otterbein trip to give possession back to Mount. After LaMatinna split a pair at the charity stripe, the Cardinals regained possession down 54-51 with two minutes to go.

Kristi Kotterman buried a three-pointer from the left wing with time winding down on the shot clock to tie the game, but Mount answered two trips later after a hesitation move and layup from Pohovey.

Otterbein had two chances to draw even, but the Raiders hauled in a rebound and went in transition for a layup to take a 58-54 lead with just 16 seconds to play.

A three-pointer fell short for OC on the next offensive possession, and Mount would eventually escape with a 59-56 victory.

Volkmer and Miller led Otterbein with 13 points each in their final game as Cardinals, while Kotterman contributed 11.

LaMatinna led the Mount attack with 14 points, with Pohovey chipping in 11.

The Raiders, who shot just 1-of-17 from three-point range, attempted 20 more shots than the Cardinals. Otterbein committed 25 turnovers compared to just nine for Mount Union. 

Mount moves on to battle Baldwin-Wallace in a semi-final contest, while the Cards fall in the opening round of the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive season.