Box Score
NEW CONCORD, OHIO – Otterbein University men’s basketball earned a critical victory at Muskingum University Saturday afternoon, winning 59-55 to remain in the hunt for a spot in the upcoming eight-team Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) tournament.
The Otterbein win puts both teams with identical records this season, as each school now sits at 8-15 overall and 5-11 in OAC play. Both squads now sit in a tie for seventh-place in the league standings.
Muskingum led 9-6 early on, but a three-pointer from RaNeal Ewing sparked the Cardinals on a 12-0 run to seize an 18-9 lead by the 8:12 mark of the opening half.
The Muskies gathered themselves, fighting back to tie the game at 26-26 entering halftime.
Otterbein clung to a one-point lead after the first five minutes of the second half, but found its offensive stride behind eight-straight points from senior Brice Rausch to open a 44-35 advantage with 13:00 remaining in regulation.
The Cards bumped the lead to double-digits minutes later after senior Chris Davis split a pair of free throws. However, the Muskies slowly began to claw back and eventually closed to within three, at 56-53, after JJ Armstrong sank two free-throws with 1:51 showing on the game clock.
Otterbein’s defense would get a stop on the ensuing trip up the floor, and solid free-throw shooting from the Cards down the stretch preserved the victory.
Rausch turned in a game-high 19 points for Otterbein, shooting 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 4 from three-point range. Fellow senior Chris Davis posted 14 points and eight rebounds while sophomore Max Van Meter scored seven.
Kyle Clinedinst tallied 18 points to lead Muskingum, which shot .385 from the field and just 4 of 19 from behind the arc. Otterbein shot a solid .545 from the floor, including 5 of 8 three-pointers.
The Cardinals made 18 of 31 free-throws while Muskingum managed to get to the line just 15 times, converting 11.
Otterbein remains on the road to begin the final week of the regular season, traveling to play Heidelberg University Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The Student Princes topped Otterbein 76-60 earlier this season in Westerville.
