Box Score
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team dropped a critical home game Saturday afternoon inside the Rike Center, finishing on the low end of a 78-64 contest against visiting Baldwin Wallace University.
The loss drops the Cardinals to 7-14 overall and a 3-11 mark within the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), keeping Otterbein on the outside looking in towards the upcoming eight-team OAC Tournament.
Baldwin Wallace, meanwhile, sweeps the season series between the schools and now sits with a 10-11 record, 5-9 against the league. The Yellow Jackets are currently tied with Heidelberg in the seventh spot amongst the conference standings.
Otterbein trailed just 12-11 at the 14:58 mark after five-straight points from point guard
Corey Howard, but BW countered with what would end up being a difference-making 20-3 run to bust the game open.
BW eventually went into halftime holding a 47-27 lead, shooting 61 percent from the field and holding a 19-11 rebounding advantage. Howard paced all scorers with 13 points at the break.
The Cardinals scored five quick points to begin the second half, but Baldwin Wallace continued its offensive rhythm and extended the lead to as many as 23 with 11:34 left in regulation.
Otterbein continued to battle and made a final push down the homestretch, cutting the gap down to 12 points on three separate occasions but unable to claw any closer.
Senior
Bryan Mackenzie led all players with a double-double effort of 20 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 16 after intermission and ultimately finishing 7 of 13 from the floor. Howard ended the day with 16 while freshman
Austin Springer chipped in 10.
Baldwin Wallace had five players reach double figures in a balanced scoring effort, with Tyler Colombo leading the way at 11. The Yellow Jackets had a 17-5 edge in second-chance points and 33-16 advantage in bench scoring.
Otterbein will return to action next Wednesday, hosting a rematch with Wilmington College inside the Rike Center. The Quakers earned an 87-58 victory in the initial meeting.
