Box Score

ADA, Ohio - The Otterbein women's basketball team dropped its first contest in nearly two weeks Wednesday night, falling 71-56 at No. 24-ranked Ohio Northern in the team's Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener at the ONU Sports Center.

Otterbein (4-2 overall, 0-1 OAC) fell behind early in the game thanks to a 17-2 run by the Polar Bears over the first eight minutes of action. The Cardinals then managed to tally the final two baskets of the period, owning a 17-7 deficit. A three-pointer by junior guard Marissa Sheets to open the second quarter pulled the Cards to within seven points of their opposition, before a 6-0 run by ONU led to a 26-10 lead with 5:12 remaining in the first half. 

Freshaman guard Dani Kissel converted an athletic tip-in at the 3:08 mark for her first field goal of the game, bringing the Cards to within 14 points of the Polar Bears. The initial 20 minutes of play ended with Otterbein trailing its opposition 33-16, as the Polar Bears opened up their largest lead of the first half on a three-pointer with five seconds left. ONU held a distinct 44 percent to 19 percent advantage from the field over the Cardinals at halftime.

Sophomore forward Kiersten Taylor began a 7-0 run at the 6:50 mark of the third period, while junior guard Feaira Crews followed nearly 20 seconds later with her first two points of the game to make the score 40-22. A three-pointer two minutes later by freshman guard Dani Kissel pulled the Cards to within 15 points of the Polar Bears, but ONU mainatined its advantage through the remainder of the quarter taking a 46-30 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.

The Cardinals managed to cut their deficit to 14 points a handful of times in the final period, but to no avail, as a 30.9 percent mark from the field resulted in ONU leading the entire 40 minutes of action. Kissel led the team with 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting, while also connecting on 5-of-6 free throw attempts. Huck followed with eight points and eight rebounds, while Crews and freshman guard Ali Cartnal also chipped in eight points apiece.

Otterbein concludes its six-game roadtrip this Saturday as the Cardinals travel to Baldwin Wallace for an OAC tilt in Berea, Ohio. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at Ursprung Gymnasium.