WILMINGTON, Ohio – Otterbein earns its seventh victory of the year following a back-and-forth battle with the host Quakers, 84-78. Both sides held the lead in the final frame, but stout defense and clutch shooting gave the Cardinals the edge late.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- An inspired Wilmington squad began much better than it did Friday night, taking a 21-19 lead (after one quarter) behind 16 points in the paint.
- The Quakers then opened a nine-point lead (34-25) midway through the second frame before Otterbein closed strong. A critical 14-3 spurt pushed the Cards back in front by intermission.
- Otterbein held a 50-44 lead approaching the middle point of the third quarter, following a layup from Bryn Mangold, but the hosts closed on a 13-4 run themselves to jump ahead (57-54).
- After two Quaker free throws to open the 4th, Otterbein went on a quick 8-0 run thanks to back-to-back threes from Angelia Jackson and Jenna Hoschouer, who also added a layup.
- Between the 8:12 and 1:52 mark of the final frame the lead changed hands five times with four ties in between. The Cardinals finally claimed an advantage of 80-78 with 27 seconds remaining following a Natalie Galaida triple and a free throw from Hoschouer.
- The Cardinal defense forced the Quakers into tough shots late, holding the hosts scoreless in the final 27 seconds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Four Cardinals scored in double-figures in the win. Katie McCrary led the way with a team-high 21, giving her 39 between the two games.
- Jackson joined her with a double-double (19 points and 11 boards) on six trifectas from long range. Mangold added 13 and Hoschouer followed with 12.
- Otterbein converted on just 16 of 26 free throws but made them when they mattered most, knocking in 4 of 6 in the final 26 seconds.
- The Cardinals overcame a 57-37 rebounding deficit, 21 of which came on the offensive side of things for the Quakers leading to 18 second chance points.
UP NEXT:
Otterbein will gear up to play a home-and-home series with nationally-ranked John Carroll next weekend, traveling to JCU on Friday before hosting the rematch on Saturday. The Cards are scheduled to host Senior Night in the second affair at the Rike Center.
