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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – After a month away from home, the Otterbein men's basketball squad finally returned to the Rike Center on Wednesday night to continue Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play with fast-paced John Carroll. Unfortunately, the Cardinals ran out of steam late en route to a 76-59 loss.
Otterbein, recently snagging its first OAC win over the weekend at Muskingum, fall back to 1-4 in league play this season and 4-8 overall. John Carroll, meanwhile, improves to 9-4 on the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both teams got off to a slow start offensively before JCU found a next gear, as the Streaks opened a 15-4 lead seven minutes in. Otterbein later fell behind by as many as 18 points on two occasions.
- The Cardinals settled in and began chipping away, clawing back to single digits and entering the break only trailing 35-27. Otterbein ended the half on a 13-3 run.
- JCU pushed that margin back to 18, its largest lead of the night again, with 12:49 left on the clock. Otterbein didn't go anywhere, stringing together a quick 12-1 run and ultimately trailing by seven points at three different moments entering the final stages.
- John Carroll regrouped to put things away late, as Otterbein mustered just two points over a three-minute span down the closing stretch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- John Carroll shot 46 percent for the game compared to just 35 percent on the Otterbein side. JCU's Connor Fitzgerald came off the bench to hit six three pointers and deliver a game-high 24 points.
- The Cardinals received 20 points from Mo Beavers, who was 8 of 20 from the field while remaining assertive throughout. Dallas Patrick chipped in 12, all coming in the second half.
- Otterbein played its second-straight game without forward Justin Carter, who is patiently working his way back from a slight injury over the holiday break. Carter is second on the team in scoring.
- John Carroll's 76 points marks its lowest output of the season. The Blue Streaks entered averaging 88.5 per contest.
- JCU finished with a 25-8 advantage on the fast break and buried 13 triples as a group.
UP NEXT:
Otterbein will stay at home to finish out the week, hosting Baldwin Wallace in the Rike Center come Saturday at 2 p.m.
