PHOTO GALLERY

Westerville, Ohio—The Otterbein men's basketball team opened up conference play falling to Marietta, 98-66, Tuesday night inside the Rike Center.

The Pioneers, who earned a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Regular-Season Title a year ago, are currently receiving votes in the national poll and improve to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the OAC.

Otterbein (0-2 overall, 0-1 in the OAC) and Marietta were trading baskets in the early stages, as the Cardinals were leading 22-21 at the 11:52 mark before a Cardinal timeout.

The pause in action would play in favor of the visitors, as Marietta went on a 17-0 run that lasted six minutes propelling the Pioneers to a 38-24 lead with 5:48 left in the half.

Sharp-shooting sophomore Eddie Anders ended the Marietta run with six consecutive points cutting the deficit to eight.

Marietta went into the intermission leading 51-34, as the visitors shot an impressive 53 percent from the field. Maurice Beavers and Anders combined for 22 of Otterbein's 34 first half points.

The Pioneers came out of the locker room on fire, as Marietta scored the first 10 points of the new period increasing its lead to 27 points.

The Cards were paced by Anders who scored a game-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while connecting on five three-pointers. Beavers also tallied double-digits in the scoring column, as he ended the night with 15 total. The Cardinals will remain in Westerville, as they host Oberlin Saturday at 2 p.m.