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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein women's basketball team was forced to settle with a split during its annual Smokey Ballenger Classic over the weekend, besting Hanover College on day one before a narrow loss to nearby Denison come Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals, moving to 8-2 overall this season, will regroup with the turn of the calendar before getting back into conference play next weekend. Otterbein will stay in the Rike Center, hosting Muskingum for a tip-off at 3 p.m.


Saturday vs. Hanover (66-59 Win):

Otterbein went almost five scoreless minutes to begin the contest, but remained close and tied the score at 13-13 following a late three-pointer from Delaney Cutteridge to close the first quarter.

The Cards used that momentum to open a seven-point margin down the stretch of the second period, but a quick 7-2 Hanover run spanning the remaining 1:54 would only allow Otterbein to take a 30-28 lead into the break.

The game remained a 1-2 possession battle throughout the entire third quarter, which saw neither team score across the final 2:08 of the frame and Otterbein eventually carry a slim 46-42 advantage into the fourth.

Otterbein quickly ballooned its lead to nine with a 7-2 run that opened the fourth, and ultimately led by as many as 12 (on two separate occasions) around the midway point.
The Cards then held an 11-point cushion with 2:50 on the clock before the remaining stretch seemingly lasted an eternity, as Hanover attempted to break the NCAA record for most substitutions in a three-minute time span. The three-possession game saw three timeouts in the final 17 seconds.

Cutteridge did a little bit of everything once again, matching a career-high by leading all players with 23 points to go along with five assists and five rebounds. Angelia Jackson added 17 herself as the Cardinals posted 17 assists as a team.

Abbie Scholz and Bryn Mangold both hauled in 10 rebounds, while Mangold also contributed three blocks defensively across extended time after starter Kathleen DeCarlo got banged up early. Otterbein finished with a 42-26 rebounding edge and shot better than Hanover from both the field and beyond the arc, which helped offset 18 giveaways.

Three players scored in double figures for the Panthers, who held a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers but fell to 4-4 on the season.


Sunday vs. Denison (49-45 Loss):

Points would be at a high premium to begin day two, as the Cardinals entered intermission holding a tight 21-20 lead. Neither team shot above 24 percent in the opening half.

A combined 35 points would be scored in the third quarter, 19 of those from Otterbein en route to leading by nine at one point. The Big Red ultimately found a groove toward the end of the period, however, embarking on a 19-6 run that spanned into the fourth quarter. That effort flipped the script and provided Denison a 44-40 advantage with 7:33 left in regulation.
 
Otterbein had a four-minute scoreless drought during that timeframe, and both sides would then encounter more trouble scoring down the stretch. Neither team scored a point throughout a four-minute stretch until a jumper by Cutteridge at the 2:12 mark, cutting the Denison lead to 46-45.

Neither club scored for another two minutes until Denison split a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining. Otterbein used a timeout and advanced the ball to half-court, but an untimely turnover on a mishandled pass would give possession back to the Big Red. The visitors promptly connected on both free throws to seal the game.

Scholz had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Bryn Mangold corralled a new career-high 13 boards to accompany another three blocks. Cutteridge added 10 points and seven caroms herself.

Otterbein netted just five points in the fourth quarter and neither team shot above 25 percent for the day. Both teams combined to shoot 10 of 45 from beyond the arc.
Denison (8-4) received a combined 26 points from Alison Schafer and Zyah Neal, while also getting 19 more off the bench.


UP NEXT:

Otterbein will look to match the program's best-ever start to Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) with a fourth-straight win over the Muskies. The 1995-96 squad also began the league slate at 4-0.