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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal men's basketball team suffered a 79-54 loss to No. 3-ranked Marietta on Tuesday night in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) matchup inside the Rike Center.

Otterbein (2-5 overall) will look to snap its two-game losing skid and record its first win in league play when it travels to cross-town rival Capital on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. in Bexley, Ohio.

The Cardinals went back and forth with the Pioneers through the first five minutes of action, playing to an even 10-point tie following a three-pointer by senior Jake Phillis at the 15:23 mark. Marietta then took control of the game with a speedy 23-3 scoring run to take a 33-13 advantage.

A layup by junior Matt Hughes with 5:37 left in the half broke the 10-minute scoring drought for the Cards, while junior Nick Nossaman checked in off the bench and knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to cut Otterbein's deficit to 15 points with 2:36 remaining.

Otterbein ended the frame outscoring Marietta, 15-10, trailing by 13 points at the break. The Pioneers shot an astounding 64.3 percent from the field in the initial half, connecting on 7-of-13 shots from behind the arc. The Cards in turn shot a solid 50 percent on a 10-of-20 mark from the floor.

Marietta extended its lead to 18 points shortly into the second half, before taking its largest lead of the game at 25 points with 2:03 remaining. Otterbein struggled to get much going offensively in the second frame, shooting 29.6 percent with only eight made field goals.

The Cards were led once again by senior Bryan Mackenzie, totaling 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers, to go along with four rebounds. Phillis and Nossaman finished with eight points apiece, as both converted a pair of shots from beyond the arc.

Pioneer guards Dillon Young and Anthony Wallace tied for a game-high 19 points, with Young in touch from the three-point line with a 5-of-10 mark as he finished 7-of-14 from the field. Otterbein held the advantage in bench points, 26-17, while Marietta made the most of its shots in the paint with 34 points.