PHOTO GALLERY
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A confident and relentless Otterbein men's basketball team continued building in the right direction Saturday afternoon, capping off a Rike Center doubleheader with a fairly convincing 82-72 triumph over Muskingum.
The Cardinals, winning their fourth game in a row, advance to 6-1 on the season and match the program's best start since the 2003-04 squad began its campaign with the same record.
Muskingum, having lost three games this season by five points or less, drops to 2-5 overall with the defeat.
THE SCRIPT:
- Otterbein led wire-to-wire, launching the game with an 11-0 run (a Dallas Patrick layup followed by three trifectas) and remaining aggressive throughout.
- Muskingum settled in and only trailed 22-17 with 6:08 left in the first half, but the Cardinals quickly regathered on a convincing 20-7 run to culminate the first half.
- Otterbein shot 55 percent from the floor in the opening period, connecting on six from behind the arc.
- The Cardinals led by 20 early in the second half before Muskingum began chipping away at the lead.
- Muskingum was able to cut the deficit down to 11, but Otterbein then began to convert at the charity stripe.
- Down the stretch the Cardinals connected on 10-of-13 free-throw attempts to hold off the Muskingum comeback attempt.
STATS THAT MATTERED:
- A balanced Otterbein effort saw eight players finish between 6-13 points. Dominic Cantrella (13) and Justin Carter (11) reached double figures.
- Both sides were efficient at the free-throw line, converting 43-of-53 (.811) attempts.
- There were 44 points scored in the paint, an even 22 by both squads.
MOVING FORWARD:
Otterbein will face its biggest challenge of the season come Wednesday night, traveling south to rowdy Ban Johnson Arena for a matchup with No. 10-ranked Marietta College.
