Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal women's basketball team surrendered a late rally to Marietta before falling, 82-75, in its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener Wednesday night inside the Rike Center.

Otterbein (2-2 overall) now stands at 0-1 in league play and will travel to Heidelberg on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Tiffin, Ohio.

The Cardinals jumped out to an early 8-2 lead in the first quarter before adding a 12-2 scoring run which carried over into the second quarter. Otterbein led the entire first half, boosting its lead to as many as 13 following a trio of converted buckets for the Cards with 8:45 remaining.

Marietta turned the tide after a series of cold spells, closing the gap to 40-36 heading into the break. Junior Abby Miduri led all scorers after two quarters with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 mark from beyond the arc.   

Both teams got right out of the gates to begin the second half, going back and forth before the Cards put several defensive stands together. Sophomore Dani Kissel lifted Otterbein by carrying her scoring effort into the third period, assisted by senior Taylor Pifher and junior Ali Cartnal, as the Cards concluded the quarter with a 60-55 advantage.

Marietta gained control of the momentum midway through the final period, clawing back from a nine-point deficit to knot the score at 68 apiece with 4:20 left to play. The Pioneers then took their first lead of the game with 2:32 remaining, ultimately ending the game on a 27-9 run to improve to 6-1 overall.

Four players finished in double-digits for Otterbein including 22 points apiece from Kissel and Miduri, as both grabbed six rebounds each. Miduri also tallied a game-high six assists, finishing 7 of 13 from the field.

Junior Kiersten Taylor posted 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting and tied for a game-best eight rebounds. Cartnal ended the game with 10 points and a trio of rebounds to round out the Cardinal leaders.

Marietta's Brooke Borich notched a team-high 15 points, as the Pioneers shot 53.9 percent from the field in the second half and ended with a 44.4 percent mark on the night. The Pioneers also recorded a lopsided 51-5 advantage in bench points.