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WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The Otterbein University women's basketball team picked up its second-straight Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) win with a 56-52 defeat of Wilmington on Wednesday inside the Rike Center. 

Otterbein (8-8 overall) improves to 3-6 in conference play and will travel to Mount Union on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tilt in Alliance, Ohio.

Wilmington scored the game's first two baskets and then increased its lead to 7-2 at the 7:29 mark. Sophomore forward Morgan Ross gave the Cardinals their first lead of the game on a layup with 2:51 remaining in the period. Otterbein ended the opening 10 minutes with a 15-11 lead.

Consecutive layups by senior forward Amariah Huck and junior guard Marissa Sheets gave the Cards their largest-lead of the first half at 19-11. Wilmington cut its deficit to a one-possession game at 25-22 with 2:44 left until halftime. 

Sophomore guard Abby Miduri scored the final basket of the half with 37 seconds remaining, netting a three-pointer to give the Cards a 29-24 advantage. Huck recorded a first half double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. 

The Cardinals rebuilt their lead to six points with 2:43 left in the third period, as Miduri picked up a steal and fastbreak layup to give Otterbein a 37-31 lead. A pair of made free throws by freshman guard Ali Cartnal with under a minute left helped the Cards take a 41-36 lead into the final period.

Huck opened the final 10 minutes of action with a pair of made free throws to increase Otterbein's lead to seven points, keeping the Quaker offense at-bay. A deep three-pointer by Miduri with 4:04 remaining gave the Cards a 48-42 lead, prompting a Quaker timeout. 

The Quakers cut their deficit to four points multiple times down the stretch, eventually narrowing the Cardinal lead to three points following a made three-pointer by Quaker sophomore Ellie Kivell. A missed layup by Otterbein led to Wilmington junior Brittaney Jefferson earning a pair of foul shots, but making only one. 

Cartnal was fouled on the ensuing possession, converting 1-of-2 foul shots to keep a three-point lead in tact with 30 seconds remaining. Wilmington scored on the following possession to bring the Otterbein lead to 53-52 with 10 seconds left to play. Miduri and freshman guard Dani Kissel closed out the game by combining for three made foul shots, sealing the team's fifth home win of the season.

Miduri led the Cards with 15 points on a 5-of-12 shooting performance, connecting on 3-of-9 shots from behind the arc. Huck posted another strong outing with 14 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, all part of her second-straight double-double and fourth of the season.

Junior guard Feaira Crews and sophomore forward Kiersten Taylor combined for 12 points and 11 rebounds to aid the Cardinal scoring effort. Kissel chipped in five points and nine rebounds. Otterbein led the game in shooting at 30.5 percent to Wilmington's 29.2 percent, while also enjoying a 19-7 edge in second-chance points.