Box Score
Photo Gallery
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's basketball team picked up its first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) win of the season Saturday afternoon, hanging on for a 58-54 win over visiting University of Mount Union.
Otterbein, now 4-4 overall and 1-2 in league play, built a 14-point lead early in the second half but was forced to hold off the pesky Purple Raiders (5-3, 0-3 OAC) down the stretch to preserve victory.
The contest saw a 10-10 tie after seven minutes of action, and the Cardinals later clung to a 23-22 lead after a three-pointer from Mount Union's Amanda Turner with 8:37 to play in the half.
Otterbein kicked into gear to finish the opening period, closing the half on a 9-2 run, capped by a fast-break layup from point guard Chelsea Reed in the final seconds.
The Cardinals widened their advantage to as many as 14 in the early stages of the second half, but Mount Union began chipping away and cut its deficit down to four, at 40-36, with 12:10 remaining.
The Purple Raiders got to within one point as the game clock moved under eight minutes, but a timely three-pointer from junior Mary Corbett later gave Otterbein a two-possession lead, 54-50, with 5:12 to go.
Both sides traded baskets as the game headed down the stretch, and the Cards eventually held a 56-54 lead, and possession, with a 15-second differential between the shot clock and game clock.
A three-pointer from Reed missed the mark, but classmate Tabatha Piper was there to corral the offensive board. Piper was fouled and made both ensuing free-throw attempts to ice the game.
Both Reed and Piper shot 4 of 11 from the field on the afternoon as Piper led all players with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Reed turned in an all-around effort of 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists while both Corbett and freshman Taylor Pifher each scored 10.
Otterbein shot .417 from the floor as a team, making 15 of 19 at the free-throw line and getting 53 of 58 points from its starting lineup.
Mount Union struggled from the field, shooting .339 for the game which included a 7 of 28 mark from behind the arc. The Purple Raiders got to the charity stripe just seven times, converting five tries.
Otterbein returns to action Wednesday evening with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Ohio Northern University. The most recent trip to Ada for the Cardinals was last year's OAC Tournament championship game.
