Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MEMPHIS, TENN. – The Otterbein women's basketball team split a pair of games at the Rhodes College Tournament this weekend, falling to Austin (Tx.) on Friday, 87-79, before rebounding with a 66-47 win over host Rhodes on Saturday.

The Cardinals now stand at an even 4-4 overall with a matchup at Muskingum on the schedule for next Tuesday in the final Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) contest before the new year. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in New Concord, Ohio.

Game One vs. Austin (Tx.)

The Cardinals fell behind 6-0 in the early going before back-to-back three-pointers by sophomores Dani Kissel and Ali Cartnal knotted the score up. Otterbein twice took a four-point advantage over the Kangaroo's, ending the initial quarter with a 21-20 lead.

Second quarter of action was less of a scoring affair for the Cards as they notched only 12 points, eight of which came from Kissel and freshman Abbie Scholz, trailing 37-33 at the break. Otterbein shot a solid 52.4 percent from the floor in the opening half, while Austin also made the most of its shots tallying a 48.1 percent mark.

Otterbein cut its deficit to two points with a basket from Cartnal less than a minute into the second half, but would come no closer for the remainder of the game. The 'Roos built an eight-point lead in the third quarter before extending it to nine in the final period.

The Cards did manage to claw their way back within one possession with 4:17 left to play, as a 7-0 scoring run catapulted Otterbein within reach of the lead. A three-pointer by Cartnal with less than a minute remaining put the Cards behind just five points, but Austin managed to sink 5-of-6 foul shots down the stretch to secure the win.

Kissel led all scorers with a career-high 30 points, going 11-of-21 from the field with six rebounds and two assists. Cartnal finished with 14 points on an efficient 4-of-9 shooting, dishing out a game-high six assists. Scholz finished with a career-high 13 points along with four rebounds.

Game Two vs. Rhodes

Otterbein held an 11-10 lead after one frame following a slow start to the game but managed to take control of the momentum with just over eight minutes left before halftime. The score was tied at 13 apiece before junior Abby Miduri connected on consecutive shots from beyond the arc to give the Cards a 19-13 advantage.

Classmate Kiersten Taylor then made it eight-straight points for the Cards with a layup underneath which helped build a 25-18 lead along with a fast-break layup by freshman Delaney Cutteridge. The Lynx then ended the opening half on a 13-5 run, taking a one-point advantage into halftime.

Rhodes' Blaire Smith knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to begin the second half, quickly boosting the Lynx's lead to seven. Otterbein responded nicely though with 10-straight points of its own, jump started by consecutives scores from sophomore Sydney Merk and Scholz, before taking a 44-39 lead into the final period.

The Cardinals pulled away quickly from their opposition and led by as many as 19 points before winning by the same margin. Miduri led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including five shots from distance, to go along with six assists and four rebounds.

Junior Kiersten Taylor followed with 13 points on a solid 5-of-8 mark from the floor, corralling a game-high nine rebounds. Kissel checked in with 10 points to round out the Cardinal leaders. Otterbein finished the game with a 15-2 advantage in fast-break points.