WILMINGTON, Ohio – Women's Basketball collected their 11th-win of the season on Wednesday night, holding off a Wilmington team hungry for a win, 61-57.
The Cardinals are now 11-4 overall and 5-3 inside of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), the loss drops the Quakers to 5-10 and 1-6 in OAC play.
THE PLOT:
- Otterbein, staying with its recent theme of low-scoring affairs, held a 13-9 lead after the first quarter…
- However, Wilmington settled in with a big second frame to gain a lead by intermission. The Quakers dropped 19 points in the period alone.
- The two squads combined for 21 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of action.
- Behind (what we can only imagine was) a strong pep talk from head coach Diana Noles at halftime, the Cardinals came flying out to double up the hosts in the third frame… 24-12. The Cards punctuated that stretch with a 6-0 spurt.
- Both sides traded baskets throughout the final quarter, but Wilmington cut the lead down to three with just 19 seconds remaining.
- Despite missing five free throws in crunch time, the Cardinals were able to hold on thanks to a huge defensive stop and rebound from Jenna Hoschouer.
KEY STATS:
- Neither side shot well from the free-throw line. The Cardinals went 6-of-14 for the game and didn't step to the line until the second half.
- Wilmington didn't fare much better, going just 16 of 26 and 9 of 18 in the fourth quarter.
- Three Cardinals reached double-figures, Katie McCrary led the way with a game-high 19 points. Angelia Jackson added 12 of her own, while Claire Radabaugh added 10 in 17 minutes of action off the bench.
WEEKEND SHOWDOWN:
Otterbein returns home to close out the week, hosting a rematch with cross-town rival Capital (as part of a doubleheader with the men's team) Saturday evening. Opening start time from the Rike for the
Roush Auto Rivalry Showdown is set for 5 p.m.
