ADA — Graduate student Kathleen DeCarlo and freshman Kiara Hudgins combined for 29 points as the sixth-seeded Otterbein women's basketball team fell 55-42 at second-seeded Ohio Northern on Thursday night in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals, bringing the Cardinals' 2024-25 to a close.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (13-14 overall), Ohio Northern (19-7 overall)
• Venue: ONU Sports Center - Ada, Ohio
• Otterbein advanced to Thursday's semifinals with a 71-54 win at No. 3 seed John Carroll on Tuesday.
• Ohio Northern will play at No. 1 seed Baldwin Wallace in the tournament championship game on Saturday.
• OAC Tournament page

Otterbein Stat Leaders

• DeCarlo led Otterbein with 15 points while adding six rebounds.
• Hudgins finished with 14 points and two rebounds and added team-highs of three assists and four steals.
• Sophomore Kyla Irby tallied six points and four rebounds.
• Freshman Mattie Walburn posted four points, six rebounds and two steals.

Game Highlights

• First Quarter: The Polar Bears opened the game on a 9-3 run, but Otterbein got back-to-back jumpers from Walburn and DeCarlo to get within two, 9-7, with 2:45 left. DeCarlo capped the scoring in the period with a layup with 29 seconds remaining as the Cardinals trailed 11-9 going into the second quarter.
• Second Quarter: Hudgins tied the score with a pair of free throws, and Irby put the Cardinals up by two with a jumper with 7:06 left. The teams played to a 13-all tie with 6:04 remaining, but the Polar Bears closed the quarter on a 14-3 run to take a 27-16 edge into halftime. DeCarlo led Otterbein in scoring at the break with six points.
• Third Quarter: ONU incresed its lead to 13 with 8:13 remaining, but the Cardinals responded with a jumper from Hudgins and 3-pointer from sophomore Abby Rawlings to get back within eight, 29-21, with 7:22 left. A pair of Irby free throws got Otterbein within six, 33-27, with 5:04 left before the Polar Bears extended their lead back to 10, 37-27, with 3:37 remaining. Both teams went scoreless for the next three-plus minutes, and Hudgins made a jumper with 20 seconds left to send the Cardinals into the final quarter trailing by eight, 37-29.
• Fourth Quarter: Two DeCarlo free throws cut the Cardinals' deficit to six, but the Polar Bears went on to extend their lead to 11, 42-31, with 6:29 left. DeCarlo made a 3-pointer to bring Otterbein within eight, 44-36, with 4:28 remaining. The Polar Bears then responded with a 3-pointer that kicked off a 6-0 run for a 14-point edge with 2:48 left. The Cardinals got within 10, 52-42, with 45 seconds remaining but were unable to get any closer en route to the 55-42 ONU win.
• Key Team Stats: Otterbein shot 29.4% from the field and was 2-of-14 (14.3%) from 3-point range. Ohio Northern shot 37.7% from the field and was 2-of-16 (12.5%) from 3-point range. The Cardinals were 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the free-throw line, while the Polar Bears were 13-of-17 (76.5%). ONU out-rebounded Otterbein by a 43-28 margin.

Notables

• Irby (Second Team) and DeCarlo (Honorable Mention) earned All-OAC accolades on Wednesday, and Hudgins was named OAC Freshman of the Year.
• At the conclusion of the tournament, DeCarlo was named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Irby has scored in double figures in 19 games this season and is averaging a team-high 13.1 points per game. She entered Thursday ranked sixth in the OAC in scoring average (13.3 points per game), second in free-throw percentage (88%) and fifth in free throws made (95) and 3-pointers made (46).
• DeCarlo has scored in double figures in 16 games this season and is averaging 10.7 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. She entered Thursday ranked fourth in the OAC in field-goal percentage (48.1%), eighth in free-throw percentage (73.4%) and made free throws (69) and ninth in rebounding average (6.1 per game).
• Hudgins entered Thursday ranked second in the OAC in assists (79), while Rawlings was third (78). Hudgins also ranked third in the conference in steals (56).
• Walburn entered Thursday ranked sixth in the OAC in field-goal percentage (46.3%). She has scored in double figures in eight of the past 10 games and 12 games overall this season and is averaging 8.6 points per game.
• Head coach Diana Noles is in her sixth year at Otterbein and has an all-time record of 76-66 at the helm of the Cardinals.
• Ohio Northern leads the series with Otterbein by a 30-10 margin dating back to 2009, and the Polar Bears have won nine straight meetings. ONU won both regular-season meetings this year, 64-55 in Westerville on Jan. 15 and 67-64 in double overtime on Feb. 19. Otterbein's last win over ONU was a 65-60 victory in Westerville on Feb. 2, 2022.