Box Score Photo GalleryWESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal men's basketball team picked up its first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) win of the season Wednesday evening, turning back visiting Muskingum University by a score of 84-77 inside the Rike Center.
Otterbein, now 2-6 on the season and 1-3 within league play, will step away from OAC action until after the turn of the calendar, beginning with a visit to 10th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan Saturday afternoon. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
Muskingum (2-7, 0-4 OAC) held a 19-17 lead midway through the opening half, but the Cardinals kicked into gear with a 15-0 run to seize a double-digit lead. Otterbein kept its foot on the gas pedal to end the half, shooting 65 percent in the first half as a whole en route to a 51-32 halftime margin.
The Muskies came out with high energy to begin the second half, opening the frame on a 10-0 run to quickly trim the lead down to single digits, at 51-42.
Otterbein's Christian Meister buried a three-pointer to stop the Muskie momentum, and the Cardinals ultimately parlayed that bucket into an 18-7 run to open a 20-point cushion with 9:47 remaining.
Muskingum would not go away quietly, continuing to battle and again getting the lead back down under double digits with a few minutes remaining in the game. The Muskies trailed by only six with 1:32 left, but Bryan Mackenzie found Marc McCuen for an Otterbein layup on the ensuing trip to thwart any potential comeback.
"The first half was probably our best half of basketball we have played this year, coupled with the first 20 minutes against DePauw," Otterbein head coach Todd Adrian said. "Luckily, we were up by 20 in the second half when we didn't play as well. We were fortunate to win the game."
Muskingum brought down 25 offensive rebounds compared to just six for Otterbein, allowing them to attempt 81 total shots while the Cards hoisted only 48. Otterbein offset that discrepancy by shooting a blistering 60 percent from the field and 20 of 24 at the free-throw line.
"I'm really happy for our kids to get this win, because they have been going through a lot," Adrian explained. "We have been injured, sick, missing guys here and there, but they keep their heads up and come to practice trying to get better."
Mackenzie scored 13 to lead four Cardinals in double figures, followed by 11 from both Darrell Miller III and Jake Phillis. McCuen posted his best game of the season, coming in with a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards off the bench.
"We knew that we were deeper than Muskingum coming in, especially now that we are healthy," Adrian said. "A lot of times, we feel it's to our advantage to push the tempo and get the opposition deeper into their benches. Our 10th, 11th and 12th men are probably better than most."
Christian Keller and Logan Kimble both tallied 21 points to lead the visitors, which shot just 35 percent from the floor and 4 of 22 behind the arc.
