TIFFIN — Graduate student Kathleen DeCarlo scored a career-high 19 points and recorded her second double-double of the season to lead the Otterbein women's basketball team to a 55-41 win at Heidelberg in Ohio Athletic Conference action on Saturday.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (10-9 overall, 6-6 OAC), Heidelberg (3-16 overall, 2-10 OAC)
• Venue: Seiberling Gymnasium - Tiffin, Ohio

Otterbein Stat Leaders

• DeCarlo recorded her second double-double of the season, scoring a career-high 19 points, while also contributing 12 rebounds, one assist and one steal to her stat line.
• Freshman Mattie Walburn tallied 14 points with an assist and a rebound.
• Freshman Kiara Hudgins tallied 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.
• Sophomore Abby Rawlings added four points, grabbed six rebounds, three steals, blocked a shot, and an assist.

Game Highlights

• First Quarter: The Cardinals managed to string together a series of plays to seize the lead after both teams had been battling for control. Walburn ignited the run with her signature pull-up jumper, followed by a layup from DeCarlo. Hudgins then added a jumper to extend the Cardinals' lead to five, ending the quarter with Otterbein ahead, 15-10. 
• Second Quarter: Otterbein's first bucket of the second quarter came with less than three minutes remaining, tying the game at 17-17. DeCarlo sparked the momentum with two layups and some key free throws, finishing the half a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. The Cardinals then went on an 11-0 run, capped by a layup from Rawlings, to end the quarter with a 26-17 lead.
• Third Quarter: Walburn sparked the offense, scoring 10 of Otterbein's 19 points in the quarter. The Student Princes tried to chip away at the deficit with free throws, but Otterbein continued to knock down shots, maintaining a strong hold on the game. The quarter also saw a five-minute stoppage to review a foul near the one-minute mark. The Cards extended their lead to 15 points with Hudgins hitting both of her free throws to close out the quarter, 45-30. 
• Fourth Quarter: The Cardinals extended their lead as sophomore Madilyn Stechschulte and Walburn hit key shots around the 7-minute mark, increasing the advantage to 17. Hudgins then added a layup, pushing the lead to a 21-point difference. Heidelberg made an effort to rally, but Otterbein secured a 55-41 victory.
• Key Team Stats: Otterbein shot 36.5% from the field and was 0-of-9 (0%) from 3-point range. Heidelberg shot 36.1% from the field and was 0-of-7 (0%) from 3-point range. The Cardinals were 9-of-15 (60%) from the free-throw line, while the Student Princes were 15-of-30 (50%). The Cards out-rebounded Heidelberg by a 41-31 margin.

Notables

• Irby has scored in double figures in 15 games this season and is averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game. She entered Saturday ranked fifth in the OAC in scoring average (14.1 points per game), third in free-throw percentage (84.7%), fourth in free throws made (72) and sixth in 3-pointers made (34).
• DeCarlo's previous career-high was 18 points. She has scored in double figures in 12 games this season and is averaging 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
• Walburn fell one point shy of her career-high of 15 points, set earlier this season against Baldwin Wallace.
• Head coach Diana Noles is in her sixth year at Otterbein and has an all-time record of 73-61 at the helm of the Cardinals.
• Otterbein entered Saturday tied with Marietta in fifth place in the OAC standings, two games behind fourth-place John Carroll. Heidelberg was tied with Muskingum in ninth place.
• Otterbein holds a 25-8 edge in the series against Heidelberg dating back to 2009. In the teams' prior meeting this season, on Dec. 14, Otterbein came away with a 57-36 win in Westerville. The Cardinals have won 14 straight meetings in the series.