Box Score

MARIETTA, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team took a loss on the road Wednesday night, falling 87-68 to nationally-ranked and three-time defending Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) champion Marietta College inside the Ban Johnson Arena.

The Pioneers, sitting No. 25 in the most recent national poll, improve to 14-4 overall and 8-3 within league play. Otterbein, meanwhile, will look for its first win of the season later this week by hosting Heidelberg on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Cardinals traded buckets with the Pioneers early on, seeing a 16-16 tie after nine minutes of action before the hosts began to find some breathing room. Marietta found an offensive groove after the midway point of the frame, using a 14-3 run to open a double-digit lead and then ultimately carry a 43-25 lead into the break.

Otterbein came out strong in the first five minutes following intermission, slicing the deficit down to just 11, at 49-38, on a layup from Cameron Arminio. Marietta kicked back into gear shortly thereafter, running its advantage to 20 points with 8:17 remaining and keeping the Cards at a comfortable distance down the stretch.

Freshman Justin Carter paced Otterbein once again with 22 points, shooting 8 of 13 from the field and a near perfect 6 of 7 from long distance. Senior guard Corey Howard had a strong second half to finish with 15 while youngster Gabe Watson contributed 12.

Center Connor Clark flirted with a double-double, scoring 11 points and corralling nine rebounds for an Otterbein squad that shot 45 percent for the night.

Marietta held a 24-0 edge in points off turnovers as the three-headed monster of Kyle Dixon (18), Avery Williams (17) and Dillon Young (17) spearheaded the effort. Williams matched Clark for a game-best nine boards as the Pioneers also compiled a 22-6 scoring advantage off the bench.