BEREA, Ohio- Despite holding an early 19-5 lead on the No. 10-ranked Yellow Jackets, the undermatched Cardinals fell in the opening game of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament, 87-59 on Tuesay night. The two sides faced off just three days ago in Westerville, where the Yellow Jackets escaped the Rike Center with victory after taking the Cardinals best shot.

Otterbein closes the book on a roller coaster season that saw a 9-2 overall start, and 4-0 in the OAC, before losing key starters to season-ending injuries. The Cards, assuing the eighth seed in the league's postseason event, finish with a 12-14 record after Tuesday night's loss at the hands of the top-seeded Yellow Jackets. BW will now advance to Thursday's second round and host Marietta, who defeated Capital, 53-49, earlier in the evening at home.


HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Otterbein jumped all over the Yellow Jackets early, stunning the hosts with a 25-11 lead after the first quarter.
   
• The BW offense got in motion in the second quarter, outscoring Otterbein 24-8 heading into the half.
   
• The Yellow Jacket halftime lead was too much for the Cards to overcome, as BW outscored the Cardinals 52-26 over the final two quarters.
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Otterbein opened the game red hot, shooting 10 of 18 in the first quarter. The offense fell cold after that, going just 10 of 39 from the field over the next 30 minutes.
   
• The Yellow Jackets showed why they've earned the 10th spot nationally, outscoring Otterbein 76-34 after the first quarter on 27 of 41 shooting.
   
• The BW bench played a major role in the offensive onslaught, outscoring the Cardinal bench 41-24.
   
• Abbie Scholz, playing in her final career game, recorded nine points and six rebounds. The six rebounds give her 755 for her career, good enough to pass Jen Burns '99 for fourth all-time.