MARIETTA, Ohio – Otterbein men's basketball hung tough with the top seeded and No. 6-ranked Marietta Pioneers, but ultimately fell in the first round of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament, 88-71.

The Cardinals found themselves in a tie ball game (51-51) with just under 13 minutes left before a 13-2 Pioneer run all but sealed the win for Marietta.

Otterbein concludes its season with a 2-7 record, while the Pioneers advance to the next round at 10-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Cards went toe-to-toe with Marietta throughout the first half.
   
• Despite trailing by nine with 1:05 on the clock, Justin Carter knocked down back-to-back triples to cut the lead to just three (38-35) at the half.
   
• Otterbein trimmed it to one to open the second half with a Dallas Patrick layup, but the Cards never managed to pull ahead.
   
• Marietta's 13-2 run between 13:47 and 11:14 was enough to put the Cards away as the Marietta advantage eventually grew to 19 down the stretch.
   

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Patrick led all Cardinal scorers with 20 points while freshman Cam Evans set a new season high with 15. Carter joined the pair in double-figures adding 12 of his own shooting 4-7 from three, and 4-8 overall.
   
• Otterbein shot 18 of 22 from the free throw line, while holding the Pioneers to just eight attempts, where they made five.
   
• The top seeded Pioneers did most of their damage in the paint, scoring 44 points while the Cards managed just 20.
   
• Marietta hauled in 14 offensive rebounds that they turned into 23 second-chance points. Otterbein was limited to just eight second chance points on nine offensive boards.

UP NEXT:

Marietta advances to host the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals, while Otterbein will head into the offseason looking to regroup and prepare for (hopefully) a full schedule in 2021-22.