PHOTO GALLERY (coming soon)

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It was another hectic finish in the Rike Center for the Otterbein women's basketball team on Tuesday night, this time with everything on the line against Wilmington in a quarterfinal showdown of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament.

The Cardinals, playing the Quakers for the second time in six days, held on in the closing seconds with a big defensive stand to survive 61-60 and keep the season alive. Otterbein now advances to play at top seed (and No. 18-ranked) Ohio Northern come Thursday night.

Otterbein beats Wilmington for a third time this season and eighth-straight time overall, improving to a 17-9 record in the process. Head Coach Diana Noles gets her first postseason win at the helm.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT:

• The Cardinals almost doubled up a lead after holding Wilmington to just 3-of-11 shooting in the first quarter, good enough to assume a 13-7 advantage.
   
• Wilmington settled in and held Otterbein to a 6-of-17 clip from the floor in the second, trailing by just a possession with a few minutes to go before halftime. However… the Cardinals kept the Quakers scoreless over the remaining 3:18 to build a 31-22 edge by intermission.
   
• The Cards flew out to a 13-point gap midway through the third, all part of a 13-3 run bridging the halves, before a pesky Wilmington club began clawing back again. The visitors closed the period on a quick 6-0 run and later tied the game (52-52) late in the fourth as part of a lengthy 19-8 spurt.
   
• The game saw deadlocks at 56-56 and 58-58 before a driving layup by Kathleen DeCarlo gave Otterbein a lead (for good) right as the clock moved under a minute. Fellow fifth-year senior Jenna Hoschouer then blocked a perimeter shot on the other end… which ultimately led to a put-back layup from Natalie Allen…
   
• Wilmington got a quick bucket and began playing the foul game, staying alive thanks to three missed free throws from Otterbein in the final 12 seconds. The Quakers saw their last opportunity (down 61-60) in the closing seconds, but Hoschouer made an incredible defensive play to block a driving layup as the horn sounded.

 
BOX SCORE NOTABLES:

• DeCarlo just missed a double-double with 14 points and 9 rebounds, as did Allen with her 10 and 7 respectively.
   
• Both sides ended up shooting 36% from the field and had an identical 15 bench points.
   
• Jada Pohlen and Zahrya Bailey combined for 28 points on the Wilmington side.
   
• Otterbein went just 16 of 28 at the charity stripe.

 
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE:

• The Cardinals will now get a third crack at nationally-ranked Ohio Northern, which received a bye into the semifinals after winning the OAC regular season. Tip off from Ada is set for 7 p.m.
   
• Marietta will host Baldwin Wallace in the other semifinal contest, with the winners squaring up on Saturday for the title.