PHOTO GALLERY

BEXLEY, Ohio – The No. 5-seeded Otterbein women's basketball team advanced in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament Tuesday night on the road, pulling away from host and rival Capital by a score of 66-53 inside an energetic arena.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Otterbein led 19-14 after the first quarter despite limited time for OAC leading scorer Dani Kissel, who made two quick shots before also picking up two quick fouls.
   
• The Cardinals took a lead at the 3:13 mark in the first period and maintained it until halftime despite scoring just eight points in the second quarter. Otterbein held a 27-24 lead at the break.
   
• Capital regained the lead early in the third quarter and the contest was deadlocked at 36-36. Otterbein eventually caught fire, ending the period on a 16-6 run to take a 52-42 lead entering the final frame.
   
• Capital started the fourth quarter on a fast 6-0 run, forcing a Cardinal timeout, and eventually got as close as four points on three separate occasions… the last being at 57-53. Otterbein answered every time, culminating on a 9-0 run and bringing a lively student section to its feet.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Kissel hit a pair of free throws early in the third quarter to reach 1,500 career points, passing Hall of Famer Jenny Lambert (1999-2002) for second all-time in program history. She is just the fifth OAC player since 2010 to reach the scoring milestone.
   
• Kissel finished with a game-high 20 points in just 27 minutes, while Delaney Cutteridge added 16 and six rebounds off the bench. The duo combined to shoot 14 of 20 from the field.
   
• Ali Cartnal added 11 points while Abbie Scholz tied for a game-high eight boards. The Cards forced 21 turnovers and outscored Capital 21-3 from behind the arc.
   
• Otterbein earned a second-straight road win over its rival, also defeating the host Crusaders 72-61 back in late January. The Cards have now won five-straight times inside the Capital Center.
   
• Otterbein wins an OAC Tournament game for the second-straight season after taking down Baldwin Wallace in the opening round last winter. The Cards then lost a battle at Ohio Northern in the semifinals.

 
UP NEXT:

Otterbein will travel to top-seeded John Carroll on Thursday night for a semifinal showdown. The Cardinals have lost a pair of two-possession games with the OAC's regular-season champions this year, 72-66 in Westerville and then 71-67 last week in University Heights.