Case Western Box Score
Carnegie Mellon Box Score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Otterbein University women’s basketball kicked off its season with a split at the Carnegie Mellon DoubleTree Classic, falling to Case Western Reserve, 63-56, Friday evening before rebounding with a 59-54 win over the host Tartans Saturday afternoon.
Day 1 vs. Case Western Reserve
Friday’s outing against Case Western was tied, 27-27, at halftime, and Otterbein stood on top at 43-41 after a three-pointer from senior Allie Leopard midway through the second half.
The Cardinals would hit a scoring draught, allowing Case to bounce back with a 13-0 run spanning the next six and a half minutes, opening a 54-43 lead with 4:22 left to play.
A three-pointer from senior Hannah Day trimmed the deficit to 56-62 with 1:36 remaining, but the Cards would get no closer.
Day finished with a game-high 24 points on 11 of 24 shooting, and pulled down nine rebounds as well to just miss posting a double-double.
Senior Rachel Snedegar chipped in 12 points while sophomore Tabatha Piper led all players with 10 rebounds.
Both teams made four three-pointers and turned the ball over 18 times. Case Western held an advantage at the charity stripe, converting 15 of 20 free throws while Otterbein managed to go just 2 for 6.
Day 2 vs. Carnegie Mellon
Saturday’s outing with host Carnegie Mellon remained close throughout the first half, with the Cardinals taking a 27-22 edge into intermission.
Otterbein held a 38-32 margin as the game clocked ticked under 10 minutes, and broke the game open with a 14-1 run over the next five minutes to take a 52-33 lead.
Carnegie Mellon refused to go quietly, fighting back and eventually drawing with three after a trifecta with 48 seconds to go.
Otterbein’s Madi Miller answered with a pair of free throws on the other end, and the Cardinals ultimately held off the Tartan rally to preserve the win.
Leopard paced the Otterbein attack with 11 points and four assists, while Day and freshman Amariah Huck each scored 10. Day also pulled down a team-best six boards in earning a spot on the All-Tournament team.
CMU was led by a game-high 18 points from Gabrielle West.
The Cardinals made 15 of 20 free throws in the winning effort, forcing the Tartans into committing 28 turnovers throughout the contest.
Otterbein returns to action next weekend, traveling to play in the St. Mary’s Thanksgiving on Saturday and Sunday.
