Box Score

NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team suffered an 80-67 defeat at Muskingum Saturday afternoon, splitting the season series with the Fighting Muskies.

The Cardinals are now officially out of contention for the upcoming eight-team Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament, as they needed to win out and gain help from a few teams above them in the standings coming into play today.

Otterbein moves to 7-16 overall and 3-13 in league play with matchups at Ohio Northern and a home game against Mount Union next up, both of which the Cards defeated in their first meetings earlier in the year.

Muskingum conversely improves to 7-10 overall and 7-9 in conference play and currently sits in fifth-place in the standings as the Muskies prepare for the OAC Tournament.

Bench points were key for the Muskies the entire contest as they outscored the Cardinals, 39-15, as two reserve players scored in double-figures. The Cards in turn manufactured the majority of their points from their starting five, as four players reached double-digits.  

Otterbein was within two possessions of Muskingum through the first 10 minutes of action before the Muskies took a 20-8 lead with less than nine minutes until halftime.

A made layup by forward Connor Clark at the 8:41 mark broke the Cards' scoring drought, which lasted nearly four minutes, before guard Corey Howard connected on a three-pointer next possession to trim the deficit to seven points.

Muskingum then put together a 13-2 scoring run to extend its lead to 33-15 with five minutes remaining, before settling on a 16-point advantage heading into halftime.

The Cards quickly got back within single-digits of the Muskies less than two minutes into the second half, converting their first four shots including four points from forward Bryan Mackenzie.

The Muskies regained a 14-point lead just over four minutes later and led by as many as 18 points with 4:39 left to play. Otterbein did manufacture a late rally thanks to a 13-3 run which helped the Cards pull within eight points with 2:20 remaining.

Muskingum closed the game on an 8-3 run making all four free throws, while also tallying a pair of made field goals, as Otterbein's lone basket down the stretch came on a three-pointer by guard Ryan Karapas.

Cardinal guard Cameron Arminio paced the team with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, grabbing two rebounds and assisting on a pair of baskets. Mackenzie followed with 12 points, while Howard and fellow guard Austin Springer notched 11 points apiece.

Muskie guard Rickey Wilson posted a game-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while forward Joshua Keyes recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.