PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein never led the entire night… until the final horn. In an absolute thriller Wednesday at another rowdy Rike Center, the Cardinals used a buzzer-beating three pointer from sophomore Cam Evans to somehow, some way overtake Adrian College by a 71-70 final.

Otterbein, behind third-year head coach Andy Winters and a balanced roster, now stands with a 4-1 record for the first time since back in 2004.

WHAT TRANSPIRED:

• Adrian opened strong behind leading scorer Connor Pelham, grabbing an 11-3 lead after five minutes of back-and-forth action.
   
• Otterbein worked to settle in and hang close, but the Bulldogs extended their margin back to double digits on four separate occasions. Adrian carried a 38-27 lead into the break behind 18 from Pelham, shooting 59 percent to overcome 13 turnovers.
   
• Adrian led by 14 early in the second half but Otterbein found a push behind its own leading scorer, junior Dallas Patrick. The swingman had a stretch of nine-straight points… teaming with Justin Carter for a 13-4 run to bring the Cards within four by the midway mark.
   
• The Bulldogs, continuing to find success at the rim and on back-cuts, weathered that storm and recaptured a double-digit lead (62-52) with six minutes left in regulation.
   
• Otterbein mounted its final run, this time needing every second on the clock. The Cards finally got back to a possession (65-62) with 3:18 left, and then trailed 69-68 after Patrick converted a smooth layup with 14 seconds remaining…
   
• Phariz Watkins, a transfer from Heidelberg, then split a pair of free throws in front of Otterbein's student section (more on them below). Dominic Cantrella hurried up the court and drove baseline, kicking the ball to Justin Carter in the corner. The fifth-year veteran made one extra pass to Evans on the wing, and his contested game-winning look fell right as the horn sounded.

 
STAT CHECK:

• Otterbein scored 44 points in the second half, shooting 57 percent in the frame compared to just a .346 effort before the break.
   
• Patrick turned in a strong double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, after holding just four points at intermission. Evans scored 16 on 6-of-7 shooting while Carter added 12.
   
• Adrian went just 2 of 9 at the free-throw line down the stretch after Otterbein's student section, comprised mostly of baseball players once again, started barking like bulldogs.
   
• Pelham scored just one point in the second half and fouled out with 1:34 remaining.
   
• Adrian shot 53 percent for the game and scored 50 points in the paint, while Otterbein posted a 27-15 edge in bench scoring.

 
LOOKING AHEAD:

Otterbein will now gear up for its Roush Auto Rivalry Showdown against nearby Capital, making the short trip over to Bexley this coming Saturday for tip at 4 p.m.