Box Score

NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team came up just short in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) road contest Saturday afternoon, finishing on the low end of a 76-71 decision at host Muskingum University.

Both sides traded buckets throughout the early going, with senior Matt Hughes giving the Cardinals a 13-9 advantage on a layup at the 14:28 mark.

Muskingum (4-4, 3-1 OAC) went ahead midway through the period, but Otterbein countered with an 11-0 run to open its biggest lead of the game, 34-25, with 6:56 to play before halftime on back-to-back triples from Maurice Beavers and Corey Howard.

 The Muskies defense limited Otterbein to just four points the remainder of the half, clawing back to finish the frame on a 14-4 spurt and tie the matchup at 38-38 by intermission. The Cards shot 52 percent as a team in the first half, holding advantages of 23-10 in bench scoring and 19-13 on the glass.

Muskingum opened a 50-44 lead early in the second, but Otterbein hung close and the game remained a one-possession battle the remainder of the way until the hosts held on down the homestretch.

The Cards had possession while trailing 69-68 with 1:15 on the clock, but a three-pointer missed the mark and Muskingum quickly converted a layup on the other end for a three-point margin. Another Cardinal three-pointer wouldn't fall, and the Muskies nailed 5 of 6 free throws in the closing seconds to prevail.

Freshman Justin Carter led Otterbein with 17 points in 25 minutes of action, shooting 8 of 18 from the floor and also tying for a team-high seven boards. Howard posted a season-best 16 off the bench, big man Connor Clark scored 13 on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting, and Beavers flirted with a double-double at nine points and seven rebounds.

Gabe Watson handed out nine assists in directing the Cardinal offense, which shot 47 percent for the game but committed twice as many turnovers as Muskingum, at 12-5. Otterbein, which had a 41-14 scoring edge off the bench, got to the free-throw line just twice while the Muskies were 16 of 23.

Jarrell Marsh (26) and Marcus Dempsey (20) were a two-headed monster for Muskingum combining for more than half of their team's points and shooting a combined 18 of 37. Marsh also corralled a game-high nine rebounds.

Otterbein (0-9, 0-4 OAC) will be back in action December 29-30 for its annual Smokey Ballenger Tournament, opening against Albion College.