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WESTERVILLE, Ohio— The Otterbein men's basketball showcased red-hot shooting Wednesday evening inside the Rike Center, connecting on 18 of 36 from beyond the arc en route to a 92-78 victory over Ohio Northern.

The Cards scored their second conference win of the year as a result, improving to 5-11 overall and 2-7 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. Ohio Northern, meanwhile drops to 4-12 this season and 0-9 against the league.

A well-rounded Otterbein offense featured six double-digit scorers, as Maurice Beavers led the way by dropping 21 on an efficient 8 of 13 from the field. Jay Joseph complemented the attack nicely with 18 points in addition to a career-high five steals.

Both teams immediately began trading baskets from the top in what proceeded to be a high-scoring and fast-paced first half. The Cards led by five at the midway point of the period, but Ohio Northern remained close and eventually flipped the script to open a five-point advantage (34-29) of its own with 5:26 to go before the break.

The Cardinals would respond with a 10-5 run spanning over four minutes, gaining a 39-36 lead at the 1:49 juncture. ONU's Colton Bachman would silence the spurt by connecting on a three-pointer and the Polar Bears went into the locker room with a narrow 43-42 edge.

The second half began with a similar theme as fans saw five lead changes in the opening four minutes. Otterbein took the lead for good at the 15:44 mark when Joseph connected on a trifecta, putting the Cards ahead 57-54 and never looking back.

Another triple from Joseph at the 11:54 mark pushed the lead to double digits, at 73-63, and Otterbein later moved the gap to 13 as the half crossed its midway point. A pesky Ohio Northern squad hung tight momentarily, trimming the deficit down to eight points before the Cards seized momentum down the stretch.

The scoreboard showed 78-71 with 6:28 left to play, but Joseph continued to lead the charge by rattling off seven consecutive points on his own and allowing the home team to expand its lead. The Cards eventually led by as many as 17 down the stretch, scoring an impressive 50 points after intermission and cruising to a much-needed victory.

The home squad shot 48 percent from the field overall as well as a strong 84 percent (16 of 19) from the free-throw line. Joseph was 6 of 6 while combo guard Austin Springer hit 8 of 10 on his way to 13 points.

Justin Carter (12), Kobe-Long Weber (11) and Hunter Dennison (11) all reached double figures as well, with Dennison's total marking a new career-best. He also added a team-high four assists.

The 18 made three-pointers fell one shy of matching a program single-game record, which was recently set last month in a win over DePauw. The Cards posted a 27-7 edge in bench scoring to complete the team effort.

Otterbein's defense played admirably against Ohio Northern All-American center and reigning OAC Player of the Year Ryan Bruns, applying constant pressure through double teams and forcing the standout to pass quickly. He still managed to deliver 17 points, 13 boards and seven assists.

The Polar Bears received a career-high 23 points from Daniel Donner and out-rebounded Otterbein 44-28, but connected on just 9 of 25 from long distance and 11 of 18 from the charity stripe.

The Cardinals are scheduled to finish out the week by playing host to Heidelberg on Saturday afternoon, although the game could be moved up to Friday as a result of potential inclement weather. Stay tuned to otterbeincardinals.com and our social media outlets for updates.