MARIETTA, Ohio – It took 317 days to resume athletic competition amidst the pandemic, and the Otterbein women's basketball team promptly used the initial 40 minutes back to deliver a wild opening contest.

In the end, the Cardinals unfortunately finished on the low side of an 82-80 contest at host Marietta College in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener for both teams.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Otterbein trailed 23-10 after a sluggish first quarter, committing eight turnovers and shooting just 4 of 12 from the field.
   
• The Cards then found themselves down 29-10 early in the second period before finally settling in. A 16-4 run brought the deficit back to single digits and then, after losing a little ground, Otterbein strung together an 8-0 spurt to eventually enter halftime down by just two possessions.
   
• Marietta pushed the lead back to nine in the third, but Otterbein stayed the course and took its first lead (60-59) on a three-pointer from Angelia Jackson with 1:11 to go in the period. The Cards would carry a 63-61 lead into the fourth quarter, outscoring the Pioneers 53-38 in the middle frames.
   
• The game saw a deadlocked at 69-69 before Marietta opened a 79-71 edge with 4:15 on the clock. Otterbein didn't go anywhere, clawing back to trail 81-10 after freshman Katie McCrary finished a layup with 43 seconds remaining.
   
• Otterbein had two chances down the stretch but came up empty both times. A baseline jumper from Jenna Hoschouer narrowly rimmed out, and then a game-winning attempt by Abby Zerkle from the top of the key just missed the mark at the buzzer.
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Marietta led for more than 36 minutes of game time.
   
• Otterbein (48%) was more efficient from the field than Marietta (38%), but a 22-11 advantage in offensive rebounds allowed the Pioneers to attempt 13 more shots on the night.
   
• The game featured a combined 43 turnovers in 40 minutes of action.
   
• McCrary tallied game-highs of 18 points, five assists and three steals in her college debut.
   

UP NEXT:

Otterbein hosts Marietta in the rematch Saturday evening, with tip-off from the Rike Center scheduled for 6 p.m.