Box Score MARIETTA, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's basketball team suffered an 80-66 loss at Marietta on Wednesday night in an Ohio Athletic Confernce (OAC) matchup inside Ban Johnson Arena.
Otterbein (13-11 overall) stays in sole possession of fifth-place in the conference standings with an 8-9 record in league play, trailing fourth-place Baldwin Wallace by just two games.
The Cardinals shot well from the field in the opening half of play, shooting 44.4 percent, taking a 16-11 lead after one quarter before playing to a 31-point tie at halftime.
Otterbein posted a 43.3 percent mark from the field in the first half, while holding the Pioneers to 34.6 percent shooting. Sophomore guard
Abby Miduri, the reigning OAC 'Player of the Week', led all scorers at the break with nine points on a 3-of-5 mark from behind the arc.
Senior forward
Amariah Huck and sophomore forward
Kiersten Taylor combined for 15 points and nine boards, as the Cards held a significant 28-14 advantage in rebounding through the first 20 minutes.
Miduri knotted the score at 49 points apiece on her fourth three-pointer of the game at the 2:50 mark of the third period, before the Pioneers manufactured an 11-5 scoring run. Freshman guard
Ali Cartnal tallied seven points in the third period to lead Otterbein, a frame in which the two teams combined to score 52 points.
Marietta began the fourth quarter with a six-point lead and a pair of free throws by Cartnal at the 8:48 mark trimmed the Cards' deficit to a one-possession game at 62-59. Otterbein would get no closer though, trailing by as many as 14 points over the final eight minutes of play.
Otterbein ended the game with an impressive 50 percent shooting mark, connecting on 26-of-52 field goals, including seven three-pointers. Marietta capitalized on the turnover margin by forcing 27 and committing just 11 of its own, converting the Cards' miscues into 29 points.
Miduri tallied a double-double for the Cards with 16 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 6-of-13 from the field with four made three-pointers. Huck finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, grabbing six rebounds.
Cartnal and fellow freshman guard
Dani Kissel scored 12 points apiece, shooting a combined 9-of-16 from the floor. Marietta sophomore guard Amisha Herd led the game with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting and a 7-of-10 mark from the foul line.
Otterbein travels to Heidelberg on Saturday for its final regular season game. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. in Tiffin, Ohio.
