Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein men's basketball team came up short in its home finale Wednesday night in the Rike Center, falling by a score of 82-68 against visiting Ohio Northern.

The Cardinals (1-23, 1-16 OAC) will finish out their season this coming Saturday afternoon, traveling to Alliance for a rematch with Mount Union at 2 p.m.

Otterbein conducted an emotional and heartfelt moment prior to tip-off, welcoming multiple members of local law enforcement to help pay tribute to Westerville Police officers Anthony Morelli and Eric Joering, who were tragically killed in the line of duty on Saturday.

The Cardinals, wearing pregame shooting shirts with an American flag on the front, played inspired to begin and took a 9-4 lead after a few minutes of play. Ohio Northern (17-7, 12-5 OAC) eventually settled in with a bang, embarking on a lopsided 19-0 run to grab a double-digit advantage and never trail again.

Otterbein never faded and actually closed the first half on a nice run of its own, outscoring ONU 22-10 over the final eight minutes and slicing the deficit to one possession, 37-34, entering the break.

Both sides traded scores throughout the early stages of the second frame, with Otterbein freshman Maurice Beavers hitting a three-pointer at the 12:06 mark to keep his team within five, 53-48. Ohio Northern responded with one more difference-making spurt, throwing together an 11-0 run after the Beavers trifecta and not looking back.

Ohio Northern point guard Nate Burger was exceptional, scoring a career-high 41 points by shooting 13 of 21 from the floor, 7 of 14 from three-point range and making all eight free throws. He also had seven rebounds and five assists as the Polar Bears shot 48 percent as a team.

Joe DiOrio had a double-double (11 pts, 12 rebs) for the visitors, which shot 19 of 21 at the charity stripe and held a 46-29 rebounding edge. Ohio Northern played without OAC Player of the Year candidate Ryan Bruns, who sat out to rest an injury and is considered day-to-day.

Senior Matt Hughes played very well in the final home game of his career, shooting 8 of 11 to score a season-high 20 points while also snagging seven boards. Freshman Justin Carter nearly missed a double-double with 14 points and nine caroms.

Otterbein dropped its initial meeting with Mount Union earlier in the year by a score of 55-42.