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Otterbein University Athletics

Otterbein Cardinals

Mattie Walburn
58
Mount Union MTU 18-9,9-7 OAC
68
Winner Otterbein OTT 21-5,14-2 OAC
Mount Union MTU
18-9,9-7 OAC
58
Final
68
Otterbein OTT
21-5,14-2 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Mount Union MTU 11 14 13 20 58
Otterbein OTT 8 16 16 28 68

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Walburn's career night sends (RV) Cardinals to OAC Championship game

Mattie Walburn poured in 23 points to send Otterbein to Saturday's title match.

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Championship bound.

The (RV) Otterbein women's basketball team hosted Mount Union on Thursday evening for an OAC Semifinal matchup that opened as a low‑scoring, defensive battle before the Cardinals pulled away in the fourth quarter. Otterbein punched its ticket to the championship, closing out the Purple Raiders 68-58 in The Rike Center.
 
Both teams displayed tough defense to open the contest, as the first points weren't scored until Mckayla Dunkle sank two free throws for the Purple Raiders. That was quickly matched by OAC Freshman of the Year Cameron Sparks, who knocked down a mid‑range jumper. Sparks continued to hold her own in the paint for the Cardinals, but Mount Union answered with a jumper in the final minute of the period to take an 11–8 lead. 
 
Kiara Hudgins went 1‑of‑2 from the line and Mason finished a fast break layup to open the second quarter, before a driving layup from Mattie Walburn with a left-handed finish knotted the score at 13. Turnovers continued to hurt both teams, but the Cardinals capitalized by pushing the pace, getting layups from Hudgins and Terry to take a 17–15 lead. Ready to respond once again, Mount Union closed the half on a 7-4 run to take a 25-24 lead into the break.
 
In the third, Cardinals capitalized on a Nicole Terry offensive rebound, as she put the shot back up to give the home team a three‑point lead midway through the quarter. The Purple Raiders made the most of a few offensive miscues and went on an extended 6-2 run to take a 35-34 lead. Otterbein answered with a run of its own to close the stanza, capped by Walburn sinking her 16th point of the night on a pull‑up jumper to give the Cardinals a 40–38 lead.


 
Madilyn Stechschulte and Cameron Sparks brought energy into Rike, knocking down a three‑pointer followed by an easy layup. Abby Rawlings buried a transition three‑pointer off a feed from Walburn, forcing a Purple Raiders timeout with Otterbein leading 48-42 with eight minutes to go. Walburn delivered again when her team needed it, sinking a pull‑up jumper in the paint to extend the lead to 55-47 with 4:40 left. Threes continued to rain down for the Cardinals as Rawlings hit from downtown to make it 58-49. Mount Union wouldn't go away in the final minutes, but a Sparks and‑one pushed the Cardinals into double digits to close out the win.
 
Walburn finished with a career‑high 23 points, going 10‑of‑18 from the field. Also scoring in double figures was Sparks, who turned in an efficient performance by shooting 7‑of‑9.
 
Next up, the Cardinals will look to knock off No. 8 Baldwin Wallace in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game, seeking their first-ever title.The game is at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 28th in Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Recreation Center.
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