PHOTO GALLERY
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – An entertaining, high-quality men's basketball game was delivered for a strong Saturday night crowd inside the Rike Center, as Otterbein and Heidelberg battled toe-to-toe across a full 40 minutes.
The surging Cardinals, winning their fifth game in a row, now stand 16-6 overall and have the most single-season wins for the program in 15 years. They close to within one game of Heidelberg for third in the OAC standings.
The Student Princes, receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com national rankings after spending multiple weeks in the poll this winter, drop to 16-5 overall and 11-4 against the league.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both sides exchanged punches in a first half that saw multiple ties and lead changes. Neither team led by more than two possessions the entire 20 minutes.
- Heidelberg opened a 33-27 lead nearing halftime, but Otterbein closed strong with a 10-2 run to take a small cushion into the break.
- More of the same took place to begin the second half, as the contest never got outside two possessions until over the midway point…
- Otterbein went on a 10-0 run over just a few minutes, capped with a wild fallaway three-pointer from Brennan Rains to beat the shot clock. That bucket put the Cards ahead 64-56 with 8:43 in regulation.
- The Student Princes quickly rattled off eight in a row to get back within a possession, but the spirited Cardinals responded with a 10-2 run and created enough separation into double digits. Justin Carter, Dallas Patrick and Jake Justice all buried difficult shots during the stretch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Otterbein shot 56% for the game compared to just 42% on the visitor side.
- Dallas Patrick, finding a groove as of late, poured in a game-high 23 points. He is now averaging 19.5 over his last six games.
- Five Cardinals scored in double figures. Justin Carter just missed a double-double with 13 and 9 while Cam Evans (14), Brennan Rains (12 off the bench) and Dominic Cantrella (10) contributed nicely.
- The Cardinals finished with a 19-6 edge in fast-break points.
- Otterbein made for free throws (21) than Heidelberg attempted (17).
UP NEXT:
The Cardinals will head to Wilmington on Wednesday night looking for a season sweep, before hosting nationally-ranked Mount Union next weekend in the Rike Center as part of Senior Day.
