WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein University played to a split in its annual Smokey Ballenger Tournament, defeating University of Wisconsin-Platteville before falling to Ohio Wesleyan University in the title game.
The Cardinals move to 5-6 on the season with the split. Platteville now sits at 8-5 this season while Wesleyan moves to 10-1.
Day 1 – Otterbein vs. UW-Platteville
The contest remained close early one, and Otterbein took the largest advantage of the game into halftime, leading 31-24.
The Cardinals maintained a one or two possession lead over the first ten minutes of the second half, and led 48-42 after a three-pointer from senior Brice Rausch at the 10:24 mark.
Two free-throws from Brett Stangel with 6:54 remaining put UW-Platteville on top 49-48, its first advantage since a 10-9 lead early in the game.
Otterbein stood its ground, and regained the lead at 55-54 after a driving layup from senior Mark Louks with just under three minutes to go.
Two Rausch free-throws put the Cards ahead 61-56 with 22 seconds remaining, but a Pioneer jumper brought the deficit to three with 4.8 seconds showing on the game clock.
Otterbein freshman RaNeal Ewing, the leading free-throw shooter in the Ohio Athletic Conference, stepped to the line moments later for a pair of free throws. Ewing missed both, however, and Stangel would take a few dribbles before banking in a half-court shot to beat the buzzer and force overtime.
The Cardinals took an early lead in overtime, and a layup from Max Van Meter kept the team on top, at 70-67, with 31 seconds to play. Platteville followed with a made jumper, and senior Chris Davis split a pair of free-throws to give Otterbein a 71-69 lead with seven seconds left.
Otterbein would survive this time, as a three-point attempt from Stangel clanged off the front of the rim in the closing seconds to give the Cards a 71-69 victory.
Rausch led Otterbein with 19 points on 6 of 12 shooting, while Davis and Ewing contributed 16 and 13 points, respectively. Davis also brought down 14 rebounds to record a double-double.
Stangel led all scorers with 27 points for UW-Platteville while Eric Gerber chipped in 14.
Both teams shot an even .500 for the contest, and the Pioneers finished with a slim 31-30 edge on the glass. The two sides combined to shoot just 6 of 22 from three-point range.
Day 2 – Otterbein vs. Ohio Wesleyan
Both teams opened the game slow, as the scoreboard saw a 6-6 tie after six minutes of action before Ohio Wesleyan opened a 17-10 lead.
Otterbein countered behind the hot shooting of sophomore Jason Davis, who scored eight-straight points off the bench to bring the Cards within 22-18.
The Bishops extended their margin to 36-26 with one minute to play before intermission, but a jumper from Rausch and a deep buzzer-beating three-pointer from Ewing sent Otterbein into halftime down just 36-31.
The Cardinals carried the momentum over, tying the game at 42-42 early in the second half before taking a 45-44 lead on a layup from Rausch.
OWU eventually found its stride, going on a 19-3 run over the next seven minutes to open a 63-48 advantage midway through the second half.
Otterbein would battle down the stretch but would get no closer than 10 en route to the loss.
Rausch finished with a team-high 19 points while Chris Davis scored 11 to mark the only other Otterbein player in double figures.
Tim Brady scored a game-best 26 points en route to Tournament MVP honors. Three other Bishops scored in double digits, including point guard Andy Winters and forward Marshall Morris.
OWU shot .483 from the field compared to .364 for Otterbein, which held a small 37-35 edge in rebounding. The two sides combined to shoot 10 of 33 from behind the arc.
The Cards next host cross-town rival Capital University Wednesday, Jan. 4 in the Rike Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
