ALLIANCE, Ohio – Otterbein men's basketball opened Ohio Athletic Conference play on the road Saturday afternoon, coming up short in a 75-63 setback to No. 16-ranked Mount Union inside the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. The Cardinals move to 5-2 overall and 0-1 in league action.

Otterbein went toe-to-toe with the nationally-ranked Raiders for most of the first half. The Cardinals answered an early Mount Union push with strong work in the paint and steady bench scoring, briefly taking a lead late in the period. Mount Union closed the half on a small run, carrying a 37-34 edge into the locker room.

The Raiders found momentum from deep after halftime, using a handful of timely three-pointers to create separation while protecting the rim defensively. Otterbein continued to compete inside finishing with a 42-34 advantage in points in the paint but couldn't string together enough stops to climb back within possession range.

Sophomore Noah Gamble led Otterbein with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and junior Chase Garito added 12 points that included a pair of threes. Freshman Carter Piatt-Brown posted seven points and a team-high seven rebounds, while senior guard Julian Heckman filled the stat sheet again with eight points, four assists and four steals. The Cardinals also got 34 points from their bench unit.

Otterbein shot 25 of 64 from the field and 10 of 14 at the line, but went just 3 of 17 from behind the arc. Both teams grabbed 35 rebounds, and Otterbein turned Mount Union's 15 turnovers into 17 points.

Otterbein will return to the Rike Center on December 13 for its next OAC matchup, hosting Heidelberg University.