Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal women's hoops team was topped 74-64 by rival Capital on Saturday evening inside the Rike Center.

Otterbein (7-10 overall) splits its season series with the Crusaders and drops to 3-7 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, now turning its attention to Marietta Wednesday night. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. in Marietta, Ohio.

Capital accounted for the first two baskets of the game for a 5-0 lead before the Cardinals took their first lead at the 13:12 mark on a made jumper by sophomore Ali Cartnal.

The Cards capped off the quarter by outscoring the Crusaders 10-0 over the final five minutes of play to take a nine-point advantage into the second frame.

Capital quickly chipped away at the Otterbein lead less than five minutes into the second period, knotting the score at 24 points apiece.

The two teams tallied four more ties over the final five minutes of the opening half before the Cards settled on a 35-33 lead following a made jumper and a pair of free throws by junior Nicollette Campbell-Muriente.
Otterbein finished the half at 52 percent shooting

The Cards rebuilt their advantage to nine points right out of the gates in the third quarter by making their first five shots thanks in part to eight points from junior Kiersten Taylor.

The Crusaders again battled back with a 12-2 scoring run to retake the lead at 48-47 with 1:17 remaining. Cartnal connected on a three-pointer with under a minute left to put the Cards back on top, 50-48, with one frame left to play.

Sophomore Dani Kissel aided the Cards in their final rally by converting a shot from beyond the arc with 2:43 remaining to pull the team within one point at 62-61. The Crusaders then manufactured a 7-0 run to take a 69-61 lead with 45 seconds left to play.

The Cardinals managed to cut its deficit to two possessions twice over the remaining seconds, but to no avail as Capital posted a 5-of-6 mark from the foul line over the final stretch.

Kissel finished with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting for the Cardinals, also corralling a trio of rebounds. Cartnal followed with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in a reserve role, while Taylor ended with 12 points and two rebounds.

Capital concluded the game shooting 48 percent from the floor with a stellar 24-of-30 margin from the charity stripe. The Crusaders' Regan Stonerock led the team with a game-high 16 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting mark.