WASHINGTON, Pa. — Five Cardinals scored in double figures as the Otterbein women's basketball team opened its 2024-25 season Friday with a 70-60 victory over Saint Vincent (Pa.) in the Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) Tip-Off Tournament.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (1-0 overall), Saint Vincent (0-1 overall)
• Venue: Salvitti Family Gymnasium - Washington, Pa.
• Friday's game was the first of two for Otterbein in the W&J Tournament. The Cardinals face host Washington & Jefferson on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Otterbein Stat Leaders

• Sophomore Kyla Irby led the Cardinals in scoring with 14 points and assists with four to go with three rebounds. She was 2-for-4 from 3-point range.
• Senior Maizie King recorded a double-double, tallying 11 points and a team-best 11 rebounds and three blocks.
• Freshman Kiara Hudgins finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and a team-high three steals.
• Sophomore Anna Waskiewicz tallied 10 points, five rebounds and two steals.
• Sophomore Abby Rawlings made two of her three 3-point attempts and finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists.
• Graduate student Kathleen DeCarlo added eight points and five rebounds.

Game Highlights

• First Quarter: Saint Vincent opened up a 12-5 lead, but a pair of free throws from Waskiewicz got Otterbein within five, 12-7, going into the second period. Neither team shot well over the first 10 minutes, as the Bearcats shot 28.6% from the floor to the Cardinals' 13.3%.
• Second Quarter: King opened the scoring with a 3-pointer to get Otterbein within two, 12-10, but Saint Vincent responded with a 7-0 run to take a 19-10 lead with 7:14 left in the period. The Cardinals methodically fought their way back, though, as 3-pointers from Irby and Waskiewicz cut the deficit to two, 22-20, with 4:23 left. Waskiewicz's triple was the start of a 9-0 Otterbein run that also included a 2-point jumper from Hudgins and a jumper and layup from Irby for a 26-22 Cardinal lead with 3:23 left before halftime. A 3-pointer from junior JuJu Grubich put Otterbein up 31-24 with 1:50 left, and the Cardinals took a 33-28 lead into halftime. The 31-24 lead represented a 16-point turnaround for Otterbein after having trailed by nine earlier in the period, and the Cardinals outscored the Bearcats 26-16 overall in the period. Waskiewicz and Irby led Otterbein in scoring at the break with eight points each.
• Third Quarter: After the Bearcats got back within one, Irby drained a much-needed 3-pointer for the Cardinals for a 42-38 edge with 6:36 left. A Rawlings triple put Otterbein up 47-42 with 5:00 remaining, starting a 9-0 run that also included two points each from King, Hudgins and Irby to give the Cardinals a 53-42 lead with 3:01 left. Otterbein took a 57-50 lead into the fourth quarter.
• Fourth Quarter: The Bearcats opened the scoring with a 2-point jumper to get within five, 57-52, but were unable to get any closer the rest of the way after Otterbein responded with back-to-back layups from Hudgins and Rawlings to extend the lead to nine. A layup from King put Otterbein up by double digits, 63-53, with 6:03 remaining, but the Bearcats cut the lead to five, 63-58, with a 3-pointer with 3:46 left. A layup once again got Saint Vincent within five at 65-60 with 1:58 left, but Otterbein responded with a free throw from Irby followed by a layup from DeCarlo and pair of free throws from Hudgins en route to the 70-60 victory.
• Key Team Stats: Otterbein shot 39.7% from the field and was 7-of-14 (50%) from 3-point range. Saint Vincent shot 37.9% from the field and was 3-of-18 (16.7%) from 3-point range. The Cardinals were 13-of-20 (65%) from the foul line, while the Bearcats were 7-of-12 (58.3%). Both teams finished with 43 rebounds.

Notables

• Friday marked the first-ever meeting between Otterbein and Saint Vincent.
• Irby fell two points shy of matching her career-high of 16 points, which she posted twice last year as a freshman.
• King's double-double was the fifth of her Otterbein career.
• Waskiewicz's 10 points marked a career high, besting her previous high of eight.
• Head coach Diana Noles is in her sixth year at Otterbein and boasts an all-time record of 65-52 at the helm of the Cardinals.