Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team picked up its first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory of the season with a 60-57 win over Muskingum on Saturday inside the Rike Center.

The Cardinals (3-6 overall) move to 1-3 in the league with the win and also snap their three-game losing skid, boosting their win streak over Muskingum to three-straight dating back to last season.

"Anytime you're heading into a break it's always good to go out with a win," said head coach Brian Oilar. "We feel like the last few weeks we've played a lot better and have been making improvements, we just haven't had the results we've wanted."

Muskingum jumped out to an early 7-2 lead before the Cards clawed their way back to within one point following a layup underneath by freshman Austin Springer at the 12:11 mark. Junior Nick Nossaman then checked into the game off the bench and knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to ignite the Cards.

Senior Jake Phillis followed off the bench with six of the team's next eight points, while Nossaman connected on another shot from three-point range to give Otterbein its first lead at 27-25 with 2:28 left before halftime.

Phillis also converted a deep three-pointer just before the break, helping the Cards gain a 33-28 lead. Otterbein shot an even 40 percent in the first half, while Muskingum notched a 46.2 percent mark.

Quality baskets proved to be the key to success in the second frame as the Cardinals notched two of them to begin the period and extend their lead to nine points. Junior Matt Hughes scored two of the team's first three baskets before three-pointers by Springer and junior Michael Howard gave Otterbein its first double-digit lead.

A layup by Springer at the 11:15 mark gave the Cards their largest lead of the game at 47-35, before a 7-0 scoring run by the Muskies cut the lead to a two-possession game. Phillis promptly knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to put Otterbein back up eight, while Muskingum continued to chip away.

The Muskies would come as close as two points over the final two minutes of action, but junior Corey Howard converted all four of his foul shots down the stretch to secure the Cardinal advantage.

"Our offensive execution has gotten much better these past few games," Oilar noted. "I think that's given our defense enough juice to get through these games before the holiday."

Hughes and Phillis tied for a team-high 12 points, with Phillis' points contributing to the Cards' 39-9 margin in bench points. Nossaman and Springer followed with nine points apiece off the bench, as Otterbein trumped Muskingum in rebounding, 38-35.

The Cardinals now welcome an 11-day break from competition before returning to home court for the annual Smokey Ballenger Classic on Dec. 29-30. Otterbein is scheduled to play Washington & Jefferson on day one before facing Waynesburg on day two. A full list of matchups for the men's classic can be found on the team's schedule page.