Box Score
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein University was unable to preserve a double-digit halftime lead Wednesday evening as visiting Marietta College fought back to ultimately escape with a 76-71 overtime victory inside the Rike Center.
Otterbein falls to 7-11 on the season and 3-8 within the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) after the loss, while the win boosts Marietta to an even 9-9 overall and 3-8 against the league.
The Cardinals held a tight 18-16 lead more than 13 minutes into a slower-starting first half, but eventually found a scoring run to open a 32-22 lead by halftime.
Marietta battled back to begin the second period, cutting the Otterbein lead down to one by the 13:10 mark and then tying the contest at 45-45 with 9:48 to play in regulation.
The Cardinals responded with six-straight points to force a Pioneers timeout, but the visitors stayed close and used some hot shooting from behind the arc to draw even at 61-61 with 1:17 to play. Neither team would score the remainder of regulation as the game headed for an extra session.
Otterbein used a Kyleigh Wyeth three-pointer to seize a 70-69 lead with 2:15 to play in overtime, but fouled Marietta's Tori Dixon on a three-point attempt during the next possession. Dixon, who surpassed 1,000 points for her career in the game, buried all three free throws to give her team the lead for good. The Cardinals were unable to convert a layup on the other end and four made free throws in the closing seconds iced the game for the Pioneers.
Sophomore Amariah Huck continued her strong play with a third-straight double-double, tallying game highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds to help pace the Cardinals throughout. Taylor Pifher, Chelsea Reed and Madi Miller all scored in double figures as well.
Dixon registered 17 to lead Marietta, which made 19 of 22 free-throw attempts and out-rebounded Otterbein 46-38. The Cardinals converted 13 of their 15 free throws but struggled from behind the arc, going just 4 of 21.
Otterbein will finish out the week on the road, traveling to take on Baldwin Wallace University Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Yellow Jackets took the first matchup earlier this season, walking away from Westerville with an 81-69 victory on January 4.
