Box Score
BEREA, Ohio - The Otterbein men's baksketball team trailed by just one point at halftime before surrendering 45 second-half points en route to a 76-61 loss at Baldwin Wallace Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals (7-8 overall) fall to 3-5 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play and will look to snap its two-game losing skid next Wedensday at Wilmington. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Raizk Arena.
Otterbein battled Baldwin Wallace tough through the first 20 minutes of action, taking an 11-10 advantage in the early going following a made jumper by forward
Cameron Arminio. The Cards found themselves tied at 15 points apiece with 12:51 left before halftime before the Yellow Jackets compiled a quick 6-0 scoring run to take a two-possession lead.
The Cardinals also saw ties at 21 and 28 points as a gritty effort on both ends of the floor contributed to the team trailing 31-30 at the break. Otterbein shot a stellar 56.5 percent from the field in the opening frame, led by 10 points from forward
Matt Hughes, while BW was held to a 41.9 percent mark despite holding the lead.
Otterbein scored three of the first four baskets to begin the second half and took a four-point advantage at one point before BW regained its lead at 38-37. Forward
Bryan Mackenzie layed in a shot underneath the basket with 15:13 remaining to again cut the Cardinal deficit to one point.
The Yellow Jackets then found their groove offensively by manufacturing a 8-0 run to bolster their lead to 48-39, prompting an Otterbein timeout. BW upped its lead to double-digits on the next possession before Hughes converted a layup and the foul shot that followed to keep the Cards within seven points.
The Cardinals would come no closer over the remaining 12 minutes as the Jackets extended their lead to as many as 16 points. Baldwin Wallace finished the game with a 30-14 advantage in bench points and 13 points off 11 turnovers by Otterbein.
Hughes led the Cards for the second time in the last three games, notching 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and a 4-of-5 mark from the charity stripe to go along with four rebounds. Mackenzie followed with 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Arminio checked in with 11 points.
Otterbein concluded the game shooting an even 48 percent from the floor and held its own inside despite trailing BW 34-32 in points in the paint.
