PHOTO GALLERY (coming soon)
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The race to 50 points was on full display Wednesday night in the Rike Center, as visiting Ohio Northern and host Otterbein went right down to the wire in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) defensive battle.
In the end, ONU would survive a pair of potential game-winning attempts by the Cardinals to escape with a 51-50 victory. The Polar Bears improve to 12-4 on the season as a result, including a 6-3 mark against the league.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both sides actually scored at a decent rate in the opening half, where Otterbein held a 16-7 lead with 3:13 left in the first quarter after a quick 7-0 spurt.
- The Polar Bears countered with a lopsided 19-4 run that spanned to the midway point of the second period. Otterbein regrouped to close the half strong, as Jenna Hoschouer beat the buzzer by drilling a heave from just inside half-court.
- Ohio Northern scored just seven points in the third quarter, shooting 1 of 15 in the frame and connective on a handful of free throws. The Cards couldn't capitalize much by tallying just 12 points themselves, but did knot the game up at 39-39 entering the fourth frame.
- Six lead changes took place in the last quarter, as ONU eventually held a 49-47 edge after an off-balanced three pointer from the left corner beat the shot clock. Otterbein trailed 51-50 after a Hoschouer bucket with 46 seconds to play, and then came up with a defensive stop on the other end.
- Unfortunately, the ONU defense forced Angelia Jackson into a pair of contested three-point attempts that both missed the mark in the final 10 seconds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Ohio Northern finished with a 29-23 rebounding edge, including 15 of those coming on the offensive glass. Emily Mescher was a problem in the middle, scoring a game-high 14 on 7 of 12 shooting.
- The two teams were a combined 10 of 34 from three-point range. Hailey Bauer did make two herself and led the Cards with 10 points.
- 53 of the 101 total points scored on the evening came from bench players. ONU also had a 26-10 advantage on points in the paint and benefited from Otterbein going just 12 of 19 on free throws.
UP NEXT:
Otterbein (9-7, 4-5 OAC) stays at home to finish the weekend, playing in the second game of a men's and women's doubleheader with Heidelberg in the Rike on Saturday. Start time for the women is scheduled for 5 p.m.
