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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein women's basketball team improved to 1-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play on Saturday following a 95-85 win over Heidelberg inside the Rike Center.

The Cardinals (4-3 overall) will look to make it two-straight victories following a six-day break from competition, as they travel to rival Capital next Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. tip-off in Bexley.

Otterbein's offense was explosive the entire contest as it had four players score in double-figures, including a pair of 20-point performances from senior Kiersten Taylor and junior Ali Cartnal.

Taylor finished with a team-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while Cartnal broke through in the second half to finish with 20 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc.

The Cardinals held a slim 27-26 advantage over the Berg through one period, as the two squads went back and forth in the scoring column trading the lead on multiple occasions.

Heidelberg then trumped Otterbein 17-16 in the second quarter, as Taylor, junior Dani Kissel and sophomore Abbie Scholz combined for 12 of the team's points. The Cards led by five points shortly into the frame and saw six ties, resulting in the scoring being knotted at 43 apiece at the break.

Scholz led the Cards with 11 points at halftime, grabbing five rebounds in the process, while Taylor and Kissel each posted nine points.

Heidelberg accounted for eight of the first 13 points to begin the second half to regain the lead at 51-48, before consecutive free throws by Cartnal and a layup by Kissel pushed Otterbein back in front by one point with 7:13 left.

The Cards ended the frame on an 18-12 scoring run, capped off by a timely three-pointer from junior Jacy Jones with eight seconds remaining, leading to a 70-63 advantage to begin the final period.

Heidelberg stormed back over the final 10 minutes of play, pulling within one point with 3:38 left on the clock before Cartnal connected on a clutch three-pointer at the 3:25 mark to put Otterbein ahead 80-76. The shot from distance was one of three for Cartnal in the frame, as she tallied 13 fourth-quarter points.

Otterbein made all four of its free throws down the stretch of the final 31 seconds of play as the Berg attempted to play the foul game to gain possession back, but to no avail as the Cards went ahead by double-digits to seal the win.

Kissel concluded the contest with 18 points and a game-best seven assists, while Scholz finished with a double-double at 13 points and 11 boards. Heidelberg's Brittanie Ulmer led all scorers with 23 points, while Madelyn Crawford also posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.