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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A valiant comeback in the second half ended up settling just short for the Otterbein women's basketball team Saturday afternoon in its (long awaited) home opener, as the Cards nearly shocked league unbeaten Baldwin Wallace in the Rike Center.

Otterbein, finally playing on campus after spending its first eight games on the road, erased a double-digit deficit at halftime with a raucous third-quarter rally. A nail-biting fourth quarter would eventually see BW escape with a 56-53 victory.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT:

Baldwin Wallace led 17-9 after a strong first quarter for the visiting side, and put Otterbein a rather steep hole by halftime in leading 33-19 entering the locker rooms.

The Cardinals began chipping away with a dominant push in the third quarter, trailing 40-27 before igniting a wild 15-2 run across the latter half of the frame. Critical buckets from multiple players all of a sudden forced a deadlocked, before the Jackets carried a slim 44-42 edge into the final period.

The contest then encountered a 47-47 tie early in the fourth, but both sides would go scoreless over the next three minutes until BW's Carolyn Wochele nailed a trifecta. Otterbein hung tough and eventually drew even (again) after Maizie King converted a shifty turnaround jumper with 49 seconds remaining!

BW standout Bella Valiant was fouled on the other end and split free throws. The Cards then had a pair of chances to leap ahead, but a miss bucket up close and then unfortunate turnover on a slip gave possession back to the visitors.

Baldwin Wallace guard Leah Riley made two more from the charity stripe, and a last-second attempt from King just missed off the front of the rim.

BOX SCORE LOOK:

• Otterbein limited Baldwin Wallace to under 35% shooting for the game, including a 7 for 23 output behind the arc.
   
• Baldwin Wallace made more free throws (going just 11 of 19) than Otterbein attempted at a 6 of 8 clip.
   
• Olivia Majors scored a game-high 16 points and also led the team with five rebounds. She was one of three Cards in double figures, joined by King (14) and Katie McCrary (10).
   
• Valiant and fellow BW forward Caely Ressler combined for 18 points and a 25 rebounds. BW held a whopping 48-26 edge on the glass.

UP NEXT:

The Cardinals will have nearly two full weeks off before hosting the Smokey Ballenger Classic, playing Olivet to open and then either Denison or Washington & Jefferson.