Box Score

MARIETTA, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's basketball team suffered a 97-74 loss at No. 25-ranked Marietta in its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener Wednesday night inside Ban Johnson Arena.

The Cardinals (3-3 overall) will host their first home game of the season against Heidelberg this Saturday afternoon inside the Rike Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Otterbein battled the nationally-ranked Pioneers in the initial frame pulling within three points thanks to the top-two scorers on the Cardinal offense, forward Kiersten Taylor and guard Dani Kissel, accounting for all of the team's 14 points. Taylor finished the quarter with eight points, while Kissel posted six points.

The Pioneer offense upped its scoring effort in the second period, outscoring the Cardinals 25-17 en route to an 11-point lead at the break. Taylor claimed the majority of the offensive output for Otterbein in the first half, going 6 of 8 from the field with 16 points and a pair of assists.

Marietta shot a stellar 57 percent (16-of-28) through the first 20 minutes, as six Pioneer players checked in with four or more points. The Cards' foul shooting kept them within reach of their opposition, as they converted all but three of their 10 attempts.

The Pioneers took their offense to the next level in the second half totaling 55 points over the final two quarters, beginning the third period on a 13-0 scoring run which turned into a 20-2 run before guard Jacy Jones connected on a jump shot with 4:28 left.

Otterbein nearly matched Marietta over the final 10 minutes of action, compiling 28 points for its largest single-quarter scoring output of the contest. The undefeated Pioneers remained strong on their end as well though with a 30-point fourth quarter.

Taylor finished with a game-high 20 points on an 8-of-11 mark from the field, along with a team-best seven rebounds and three assists. Kissel followed with 15 points, while guard Ali Cartnal made it three Cards in double-figures with 10 points.