WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The No. 17 Otterbein men's basketball team rode a strong opening half to secure the second seed in next week's Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) tournament by recording an 80-60 victory over visiting Muskingum in their final regular season game Saturday afternoon at the Rike Center.
 
Prior to tipoff, Otterbein recognized eight upperclassmen as part of Senior Day festivities. Five cheerleaders led the procession of honorees, follwed by Julian Heckman, Troy Scowden, Mason Stuck, Reece Huber, Brandon McLaughlin, Bryan Flannery, Andrew Cleaver and Jarius Jones as they made their way to center court to greet their families.
 
The victory gave Otterbein their 21^st of the season as they close out regular season with a 21-4 overall record and 13-3 in conference play. This marks the first time that head coach Andy Winters has won 20 games or more in a season. Muskingum drops to 15-10 overall with a 7-9 mark in conference.
 
Twelve Cardinals found the scoring column in the balanced effort. Three reached double figures, led by Jones and Heckman with 17 and 12 points, respectively. Junior Chase Garito added 10 on 5-of-6 shooting. Garito, Heckman, Huber and Carter Piatt-Brown all dished out two assists. Defensively, Jones also led the team in boards, pulling down six while Garito paced the Cardinals in blocks, registering two.
 
Back-to-back triples from  Huber and Heckman started the 10-0 rally that gained the lead for the Cardinals. Jones followed with consecutive layups before Muskingum finally broke the drought. Around the 10-minute mark, Micah Germany drained two back-to-back buckets from beyond the arc, injecting energy into the building and helping the Cardinals build the separation they would carry into halftime.
 
Holding a 44-21 advantage at the break, Otterbein maintained its composure throughout the second half. The Cardinals stretched the lead to a game‑high 33 points at the 12:22 mark on a layup from Huber. Muskingum attempted to chip away but never threatened, ultimately falling at the final buzzer.

Otterbein dominated several statistical categories, including points off turnovers (20-11), bench points (53-19), points in the paint (42-28) and fast break points (12-7).
 
With the regular season complete, Otterbein enters the OAC Tournament as the second seed and will host a semifinal game Thursday at the Rike Center. An opponent and time is still TBD.