NEW CONCORD, Ohio- Otterbein Men's Basketball snapped a slight two-game losing skid on Saturday with a double-digit victory and season sweep over Muskingum. The Cardinals led wire-to-wire and held off a second-half Muskie surge to earn their sixth conference win, 84-74.
Otterbein now sits at 12-6 overall and 6-5 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Otterbein hit the hosts with a gut punch right out of the jump, taking a commanding 12-0 lead in the first five minutes of action.
- Jake Justice scored the first five points of the game, helping the Cards lead by as many as 16 throughout the first half.
- Muskingum cut the lead down to 11, but a strong close of the half saw Otterbein hold a 41-29 advantage at the break.
- The Cardinals kept Muskingum at a distance throughout most of the half, with the lead staying around eight until the 10-minute mark.
- With over nine minutes to play, a pair of Tanner Gensler free throws cut the lead to five, but the Cardinals had the answer down the stretch.
- In the final nine minutes of play, Otterbein was an extremely efficient 11 for 12 from the charity stripe.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Five Cardinals reached double-figure scoring. Dallas Patrick led the way with his second-straight game with 22, his second straight game over 20 points.
- Justice added 15 points, making a pair of three-pointers, while Justin Carter notched 12. Cam Evans and Reid Black chipped in 10, as Black flirted with a double-double at seven rebounds.
- Both sides took care of the basketball with only 16 turnovers combined; the nine Muskie giveaways resulted in 11 points for the Cards.
- The 84 points are a season-high, and the fourth time the group has eclipsed 80 this winter. The previous high (82) came in the first matchup between these two sides back on December 11.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Cardinals will gear up for game two of a three-game road stretch when they head to Ohio Northern on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Otterbein won the first game, 57-53, on January 5.
