PHOTO GALLERY (coming soon)

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A blistering offensive performance lifted the Otterbein men's basketball team right back into the win column Wednesday night, snapping a 20-game losing streak in the series with Marietta by flying past the Pioneers to a convincing 86-70 final.

The Cardinals shot 60 percent for the game in front of a Rike Center crowd featuring many returning from the semester break. That effort helped Otterbein lead for nearly the entire way and grab its first win of the 2024 calendar.

Marietta, receiving votes in the latest national poll, loses for the first time in over a month and falls back to 11-3 overall.
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Otterbein trailed 10-9 roughly four minutes into the game before jumping ahead with an 8-0 run and never trailing again. The Cards ran the lead to double digits before the midway point of the half (on a corner three from MJ Davis) and pushed the gap to as many as 13 before settling with a 47-37 edge at intermission.

The Pioneers sliced the margin to just five almost immediately to begin the second half, but the Cardinals punched back with a dominant 17-2 run in just over four minutes of game time. That sequence gave the home side a 67-47 advantage.

Marietta attempted to press and claw its way back into the contest, but never got any closer than 14 points the rest of the way as Otterbein continued pushing forward itself.
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Freshman center Chase Garito had himself a night with 21 points and 11 rebounds, the first double-double of his young career. Cam Evans scored 16 in the first half and matched his teammate with a game-high 21. The duo combined to shoot 19 of 33.

Jack Clement added 15 points and seven rebounds to the cause while forward Troy Scowden chipped in 10 despite battling foul trouble all night.

Otterbein shot 63% in the first half and was almost as efficient in the second. The Cards held a 54-36 scoring edge in the paint.

Marietta shot just 6 of 27 from three-point range and was led by 17 points and eight rebounds from big man Sahmi Willoughy.

The relatively clean game saw both teams commit just eight turnovers across the 40 minutes.
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The Cardinals will now hit the road to close out the week, traveling over to Muskingum for a tip Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.