WILMINGTON, Ohio – Men's basketball hit the road Wednesday night, this time traveling south for an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) match up with Wilmington. The Cardinals took a three point lead into the half, but ran out of gas down the stretch falling to the Quakers by a final of 71-61.

The loss knocks Otterbein to 4-10 on the season and 1-6 within the conference, while the Quakers improve to 5-9, and 3-4 in league action. Otterbein will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, hosting Mount Union for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Both sides got off to a fast start, with Otterbein holding a 22-17 lead after the first 10 minutes of action. That same time frame saw three lead changes, with Wilmington leading by as many as five after a 7-0 run over two minutes.
   
• The Cards turned things around and jumped out to an eight point lead, 27-19, at 7:52 following the second made three of the night from Jake Justice. The Quakers then chipped away at the Cardinal lead, eventually tying things up 31 all with just under four minutes in the half.
   
• Over the final stretch of action the Cards were able to gain their lead back following a pair of made shots behind the arch from Kobe Long-Weber and Dallas Patrick, hitting the half with a 38-35 advantage.
   
• Otterbein scored the first two buckets of the second half, but then fell cold. Wilmington took a 45-44 advantage with 15:06 to play, and never lost their lead again. Over the next seven minutes of game time the Quakers went on a 12-2 run. The Cards finally stopped the outburst with a layup from Justice.
   
• Wilmington pushed ahead of the Cards over the last seven minutes, leading by as many as 17. The lead proved to be too much for the Cards to overcome, with Wilmington emerging victorious 71-61.
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Wilmington capitalized on 24 Otterbein turnovers, scoring 20 points on the giveaways.
   
• The Quakers established their presence in the post, outscoring the Cards 36-18 in the paint.
   
• Justice led all scorers on the night with 18 points, shooting 5-6 from behind the arch, while Patrick knocked in 13 of his own. Long-Weber joined the pair in double figures with 11.
   
• Wilmington enjoyed a balanced offense, with four starters scoring in double digits, including 17 from Payton Smith, and 15 from Abdul Kanu.