PHOTO GALLERY (coming soon)

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A relatively high-scoring game filled with many whistles, ensuing foul calls and a handful of runs by each side ended with an 85-80 final score Wednesday night, as visiting Wilmington College held on to escape the Rike Center with a narrow Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory over host Otterbein.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The lead changed hands six times throughout the first half, with the largest gap being a 23-14 Wilmington lead just over midway through.
   
• Otterbein closed the period strong, using an 8-0 run to make it a one possession game and ultimately taking a 32-31 lead. The contest eventually went to intermission locked at 36-36.
   
• Wilmington forward Abdul Kanu picked up his fourth foul very early in the second frame, but the Quakers rallied with a 12-3 run that opened a double-digit lead.
   
• Wilmington kept that margin anywhere between 8-12 points moving forward, doing most of its damage in the paint, before Otterbein made a late run. The Cards got to within two points, beginning at the 3:19 mark, on five separate occasions but were unable to break through and draw even.
   
• Otterbein had its final chance, down 83-80, after a tie-up with 15 seconds left gave the ball back to Otterbein via the possession arrow. However, a narrow turnover occurred on the ensuing play when Dallas Patrick was called for barely stepping out of bounds on a crowded wing area.
   
• Wilmington connected on 3 of 4 free throws in the closing seconds to preserve its road win.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Both sides played without key individuals. Otterbein was missing starting forward Reid Black and primary reserve Kobe Long-Weber due to injuries, while Wilmington was missing standout Jeffrey Mansfield for the same reason. Mansfield currently ranks second in the OAC at over 18 ppg.
   
• Patrick was sharp throughout for Otterbein as the freshman led all players with a season-high 27 points, on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, while hauling in eight boards. Mo Beavers and Jake Justice both dropped 17.
   
• Wilmington's DaeShawn Jackson put the team on his back with 25 points and six rebounds, including some difference-making plays down the stretch. Kanu added 17 in just 25 minutes, while three other Quakers also reached double figures. Wilmington shot over 60 percent in the second half.
   
• In a game that saw 165 combined points, only 15 of those came off the bench. Wilmington sizeable advantages on points in the paint (46-24) and fast-break scoring (27-13).
   
• The contest saw 51 fouls called, translating to 56 total free throws.

 
UP NEXT:

Otterbein will need to regroup quickly, traveling to No. 14-ranked Mount Union this coming Saturday for a tip at 2 p.m. Mount won the first meeting, 79-67, earlier this season in Westerville.