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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team improved to 5-6 overall with a pair of victories in the Smokey Ballenger Classic, defeating Washington & Jefferson, 71-55, on Thursday before outlasting Waynesburg, 66-53, on Friday.

The Cardinals now close the book on their non-conference schedule and will resume Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play at home next Wednesday against Ohio Northern. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Rike Center.
 
Game One vs. Washington & Jefferson

The Cardinals totaled a season-high 43 points in the opening half, thanks in part to connecting on seven three-pointers, taking a 17-point lead into halftime. Senior Bryan Mackenzie led the way for Otterbein with 12 points in the initial frame, while junior Matt Hughes added 11 points to balance the Cardinal scoring attack.

Otterbein quickly boosted its lead to 48-26 after scoring the first five points of the second half, before taking its largest lead of the game at 55-30 with 15:31 remaining. The Presidents would not come any closer than 16 points, proving to be the final margin for the Cards which were credited with their second-straight win.

Mackenzie finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-5 mark from beyond the arc, grabbing six rebounds. Hughes posted 15 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting, corralling a game-high seven boards.

Redshirt freshman Cameron Arminio also notched 15 points, tying a career-high set earlier this season. Junior Nick Nossaman checked in with 10 points off the bench, knocking down a trio of three-pointers. The Cardinals also enjoyed a 25-20 edge in bench points, shooting 47.2 percent from the floor for the contest.

Game Two vs. Waynesburg

Otterbein trailed 12-9 with just under 13 minutes left in the opening half, proving to be the final lead of the night for Waynesburg. Nossaman then checked into the contest and converted back-to-back shots from three-point range, giving the Cards a 15-12 advantage.

Freshman Austin Springer also made an immediate impact off the bench shortly after by scoring five-straight points to bump the Cards' lead to 20-14 with less than 10 minutes until halftime. Arminio and junior Corey Howard helped Otterbein end the initial frame strong, accounting for the team's final seven points with consecutive three-pointers.

Arminio led the game at the break with 11 points as the Cardinal shot a solid 47.8 percent from the floor while holding the Jackets to 33 percent shooting.

Waynesburg began the second half with new energy thanks to a 9-2 scoring run, which helped the Yellow Jackets trim the Cards' lead to seven points. Otterbein exited its timeout and quickly boosted its lead back to double digits, credited to a Hughes layup and the foul shot that followed.

The Yellow Jackets cut its deficit to nine points with 2:47 remaining, but to no avail as solid play inside and at the foul line helped the Cards capture their first three-game win streak since the 2010-11 season.

Mackenzie, who led the team in scoring for the ninth game this season, finished with 15 points including a 9-of-10 mark from the charity stripe to go along with six rebounds. Arminio and Nossaman each added 11 points, connecting on 6-of-13 shots combined from beyond the arc.

Otterbein was held to just seven field goals in the second half, finishing the game shooting 41.9 percent to Waynesburg's mark of 42 percent. The Cardinal bench again played a major role, outscoring the Jackets' 30-13.