Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Otterbein University men's basketball team dropped a pair of outings during its holiday trip down south, losing twice during the Christopher Newport University Captains Shootout.

The Cardinals, now 2-9 on the season, fell to the host Captains on day one before encountering another defeat at the hands of Worcester State in the consolation game Tuesday afternoon. The team will not return to action until Jan. 7 when it heads to play crosstown-rival Capital University.

Day 1 vs. Christopher Newport (71-58 loss)

Newport, receiving votes in the latest national poll, jumped out to an early 16-7 lead over the Cardinals six minutes into Monday's affair. Otterbein trailed by only three points midway through the opening period, but a quick 9-0 run helped the Captain seize a double-digit lead by the 7:57 mark.

The Cardinals trimmed the deficit back to just seven early in the second half, but a 13-0 run over the next seven minutes helped CNU push its advantage to 20 and never look back.

Newport buried 15 three-pointers and attempted a staggering 38 on the evening, while also finishing with a 24-10 edge in points of turnovers.

Freshman Darrell Miller III led Otterbein with 11 points, shooting 5 of 12 from the field to mark the only Cardinal in double figures. Senior Marshall Crum scores seven while freshman Clayton Schaefer brought down a team-high eight rebounds.

Marcus Carter poured in 27 points to lead the Captains.
 
Day 2 vs. Worcester State (64-52 loss)

Tuesday's consolation game was a tightly-contested, low-scoring affair throughout the first half, with Otterbein eventually taking 27-23 halftime lead after finishing the frame on a 7-2 run.

Worcester State began the second half strong, opening on an 11-0 run to grab a 34-27 lead less than five minutes in. The Cards stayed close and forced ties at 38, 40, 44, 46 and 48 before the Lancers strung together a 14-2 run down the stretch to pull away and win.

Sophomores Jake Phillis and Bryan Mackenzie paced the Otterbein offense by scoring 14 and 12, respectively, with Phillis also tying for a game-high three steals. Freshman Matt Hughes, back in uniform on the trip after missing three games due to injury, nearly missed a double-double with eight points and ten rebounds.

Four players reached double figures for Worcester State, led by a double-double effort of 12 points and 14 rebounds from Paul Brooks, who set a tournament record with 32 boards over the two outings.

Both teams combined to shoot 4 of 30 from three-point range in the game.