Box Score

ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's basketball team got into an offensive shootout in the first half before falling 80-65 at Mount Union on Saturday afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play inside the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex.

The Cardinals, now 6-7 overall, fall to 2-4 in league play and will look to snap their three-game losing skid when they host John Carroll next Wednesday night. Tip-off inside the Rike Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

A high-scoring affair was the story of the initial quarter as the two teams combined for 51 points through the first 10 minutes of action, with the Cardinals holding the lead in the early going thanks to seven combined points from forward Kiersten Taylor and guard Dani Kissel. 

The Purple Raiders (6-7 overall, 3-3 OAC) then jumped in front for their first lead of the afternoon at 14-12, as the remainder of the frame featured ties at 14, 17 and 19 before Mount Union finished off the final 2:31 on an 8-5 run to take a 27-24 advantage.

Mount Union then benefited from a 10-4 scoring run to open the second quarter, leading to a nine-point lead, before guard Delaney Cutteridge converted a jump shot to bring Otterbein back within seven points.

The Purple Raiders took their largest lead of the half on the next possession at 40-30, but the Cards battled back over the final two minutes and change of the half as a three-pointer by guard Jacy Jones cut the deficit to just three points with one minute remaining.

Otterbein trailed by as few as four points early in the third quarter as Kissel connected on a shot from beyond the arc to narrow the margin, but the Cards then went scoreless over the next three minutes as the Raiders boosted their lead to 54-40.

The Cards cut their deficit to 10 points briefly into the final quarter of play, but that was the closest they would come as the Raiders led by as many as 17 points down the stretch.

Three Cardinals reached double-figures in the scoring column, led by Kissel with 18 points on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting to partner and tie for a team-best four assists. Taylor added 16 points of her own on a 7-of-9 mark from the field, while guard Ali Cartnal followed with 10 points and four helpers.

Mount Union shot just under 50 percent for the game while Otterbein notched a 38 percent mark from the floor, with both teams capitalizing from the foul line combining to go 31 of 36.