Box Score
ADA, Ohio – The Cardinal men secured a 79-70 victory over Ohio Northern University Wednesday night at the ONU Sports Center.
The win improves Otterbein University to 2-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), 5-4 overall. Meanwhile, the Polar Bears fall to 6-5 overall, 2-2 in league play.
Sophomore guard Andy Yazrombek turned in an all-around effort of 21 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, including 11 straight points in the final four minutes of the game to lead the Cardinals to victory.
Senior forward Zach Bakenhaster also chipped in a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds on 5 of 8 shooting from the field.
The two teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of the game, with Otterbein leading by no more than four points.
The Cardinals commanded the next 10 minutes, sprinting out to a 16-3 run to seize a 36-21 lead with 4:35 to play before intermission.
After Otterbein took a 42-30 lead into the break, both teams struggled to begin the second half.
Northern quickly shrugged off eight misses to begin the period by going on a 15-8 run to pull within five, 50-45, with 11:38 remaining in the game.
Bakenhaster hit a layup with 6:15 left in the contest to put the Cards up 61-54, but the Polar Bears followed it with a quick 6-2 spurt to pull within two points with only 4:44 remaining.
However, the Cardinals never relinquished the lead as Yazrombek scored 11 consecutive points to help Otterbein secure the road win.
The Cardinal bench scored 25 points, compared to just 12 for Ohio Northern. Junior guard C.J. Julian led the way with 14 off the bench.
Otterbein also held a significant advantage on the glass, out-rebounding the Polar Bears 44 to 23.
Ohio Northern was led by sophomore forward Lucas Pennington, who scored a game-high 22 points in the loss.
Polar Bear senior guard Taylor Kuhlman, the reigning OAC Player of the Week, was held to just two points on 1 of 5 shooting in 16 minutes of play and fouled out with three minutes left in the game.
Otterbein has the week off before they return to action next Friday for the annual Smokey Ballenger Tournament. The Cards will host the Milwaukee School of Engineering in their opening round matchup. Tip-off at the Rike Center is scheduled for 8 p.m.
