WILMINGTON, Ohio –  The Cardinal defense stepped up Wednesday night in a hard earned 77-65 victory over the host Fightin' Quakers. Wilmington found nothing on offense easy all night, resulting in Otterbein holding its 15th opponent in 20 games to under 70 points. The win means a season split between the two schools, with Wilmington taking game one 88-78 back on January 15th in Westerville.

Otterbein improves its overall record to 11-9 on the season, and 6-7 within Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) competition. The loss knocks Wilmington down to an overall record of 9-11, and 5-8 in the OAC.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Otterbein found themselves ahead 12-4 with 3:29 left in the first, but Wilmington finally found its groove, going on a 12-0 run over two minutes to take a two point lead.
   
• The Cardinals stopped the run to take a 17-15 lead at the end of the first.
   
• A slow second quarter saw the Cards outscore the Quakers 13-11, giving Otterbein a four-point advantage at the break, 30-26.
   
• Wilmington finally found life on offense in the third quarter, outscoring Otterbein 20-18.
   
• Stifling Cardinal defense forced the hosts into bad shots throughout the final quarter, resulting in a hard fought 77-65 road win.
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Abbie Scholz posted her third double-double of the season, this time with a monster 17-point and 16-rebound effort.
   
• Jenna Hoschouer added 15 points while Bryn Mangold and Abby Zerkle each poured in 12.
   
• Otterbein is now 3-2 on the season when four players score in double digits.
   
• The impressive Cardinal defense forced Wilmington into a 7 of 29 effort from three.
   
• The Cards were once again strong at the free-throw line, going 22 of 30.
   

UP NEXT:

• Otterbein will wrap up the week hosting Mount Union for a 3 p.m. tip-off. The Purple Raiders escaped the first meeting with a 66-64 victory in Alliance on 1/18.