WESTERVILLE — Sophomore Kyla Irby scored 22 points to lead the Otterbein women's basketball team to a 63-48 win over Albion (Mich.) on the first day of the Smokey Ballenger Classic on Sunday.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (5-4 overall), Albion (3-8 overall)
• Venue: Rike Center - Westerville, Ohio
• The Smokey Ballenger Classic is a two-day, eight-game men's and women's basketball event collecting non-perishable food items for The Promise House and Westerville Area Resource Ministry (W.A.R.M.) and cash donations for the Coaches vs. Cancer cause. For more information, click here.

Otterbein Stat Leaders

• Irby made a pair of 3-pointers and led Otterbein with 22 points while adding three rebounds.
• Graduate student Kathleen DeCarlo recorded 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
• Freshman Mattie Walburn was the third Cardinal to score in double figures, posting 12 points.
• Sophomore Abby Rawlings made a team-high three 3-pointers and finished with nine points to go with five rebounds and a team-high five assists.

Game Highlights

• First Quarter: Otterbein scored the first five points of the game, getting a 3-pointer from Rawlings and a jumper from DeCarlo. The Cardinals extended their lead to 9-2 on a jumper from Walburn with 5:50 left. Albion got within two, 11-9, with 3:51 remaining, but a 6-0 run from Otterbein, courtesy of four points from Irby and two from freshman Kiara Hudgins put the Cardinals up 17-9 with 1:05 left. Otterbein took a 17-11 edge into the second quarter.
• Second Quarter: Albion got within two, 19-17, with 7:48 remaining, but Otterbein again put together a run to extended its advantage. A 3-pointer and layup from Irby put the Cardinals up 25-17 with 5:34 left, and a triple from Rawlings extended the lead to double digits at 29-19 with 3:48 remaining. The Britons fought back to within four, 31-27, with 37 seconds left before Irby capped the second-quarter scoring with a layup to send the Cardinals into halftime with a 33-27 lead.
• Third Quarter: Otterbein opened the second half with a 9-2 run, getting six points from DeCarlo and three from Rawlings for a 42-29 edge with 7:30 remaining. A 3-pointer from DeCarlo gave Otterbein a 45-31 edge with 4:33 left. The Britons were able to get within eight with 2:16 remaining, but a pair of free throws from DeCarlo restored the Cardinals' double-digit advantage at 47-37 with 1:48 left en route to taking a 12-point edge, 51-39 into the fourth period.
• Fourth Quarter: Albion once again got within eight with 5:33 remaining, but Irby answered with a 3-pointer to put the Otterbein lead back at 11. Irby followed with a jumper to increase the lead to 13, 57-44, with 4:02 left before Albion managed to cut it t nine, 57-48, with 3:12 remaining. Otterbein closed out the game with six straight points, getting four from Walburn and two from DeCarlo, for the 15-point victory.
• Key Team Stats: Otterbein shot 47.2% from the field and was 6-of-15 (40%) from 3-point range. Albion shot 33.3% from the field and was 0-of-12 (0%) from 3-point range. The Cardinals were 7-of-10 (70%) from the free-throw line, while the Britons were 12-of-14 (85.7%). Albion out-rebounded Otterbein by a 34-31 margin.

Notables

• Irby fell just one point shy of her career-high scoring total of 23 points, which she recorded earlier this season against Husson. She has scored in double figures in seven of nine games this season and is averaging a team-high 13.9 points per game.
• DeCarlo's 16 points tied her season high. She has scored in double figures in five games this season and is averaging 10 points per game.
• Head coach Diana Noles is in her sixth year at Otterbein and has an all-time record of 68-57 at the helm of the Cardinals.
• Otterbein and Albion last played in December 2021, with the Cardinals coming away with a 67-55 win in Westerville.