For the second year in a row, the Otterbein women’s basketball team’s season came to a halt in Ada, Ohio.
Coming into the game, the Cardinals knew they had a tough task ahead of them, as they had lost twice in the regular season, by a combined 51 points, to the No. 3 nationally ranked Polar Bears of Ohio Northern.
Since their last meeting in late January, the Cards had once again found their stride, winning four of five to end the regular season, while carrying a five game winning streak into Saturday night’s matchup.
“We worked so hard to get where we did,” said senior Rachel Snedegar. “We proved a lot of people wrong by getting second place.”
But, this game was on a much larger scale, as the stage was set for both teams to make a statement.
For the Polar Bears, a win meant added prestige to their already impressive 2012-2013 campaign, as they had the opportunity to pair an OAC tournament title with their impressive undefeated regular season OAC crown.
For the Cardinals, a win would give them an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament to accompany back-to-back 20-win seasons.
“As a team we came in confident,” Snedegar said. “Especially after beating Mount Union by 23 points.”
So as the first half opened play, both teams seemed to feed off the energy and enormity of this matchup.
Both teams generated a great deal of support, as the fans filled both sides of the dimly lit stands, which created a Staples Center like backdrop.
Ohio Northern jumped out to a 14-8 lead early in the game, as every shot the Polar Bears put up seemed to fall.
Conversely, the Cardinals offense steadily increased, but the defensive effort they took to try and stop the Polar Bears was wearing.
After an 18-8 deficit midway through the opening half, Otterbein called a timeout to talk strategy and attempt to slow the Polar Bears momentum.
Unfortunately for the Cards, stellar shooting from behind the arc and in the paint by Ohio Northern proved to be a daunting task to stop, as balanced scoring led to 50 percent shooting and a 39-29 halftime lead for the Polar Bears.
Over the first twenty minutes of play, the Polar Bears were in full command of the bench scoring margin, as they held a 17-0 advantage.
Senior Allie Leopard led all scorers at halftime with 10 points.
Coming out of halftime, the Otterbein crowd rallied behind the team as they rose to a standing ovation as the Cardinals took the court.
But, the wind was quickly taken out of the team’s sails, as three straight baskets by senior Joanna Snyder increased the Polar Bears lead to 16 points to open the second half of play.
Nearly halfway through the second half, Ohio Northern had outscored Otterbein 15-6 as they continued to build their lead.
The Cardinals continued to play scrappy as the clock struck five minutes left in regulation, but to no avail, as they eventually fell by a final score of 73-46.
On the night, Ohio Northern finished the game shooting 49 percent as opposed to Otterbein’s 34 percent. Also, the Polar Bears benefited greatly from offense off the bench, as they closed out the game with a 30-9 advantage.
“It’s always difficult after a loss,” said head coach Connie Richardson. “It’s easy to look at all the negatives and the last thing that occurred, but nobody expected us to finish second (in the OAC), so I’m proud of them.”
Leading the way for Otterbein was Leopard with 12 points, as senior Hannah Day followed with eight points, stalling her at 993 points for her career.
Both Day and Leopard were named to the All-Tournament team, much to the approval of their head coach.
“Allie has been a catalyst for us all year long,” Richardson said. “We wouldn’t be where we are without Hannah and her scoring, so it was an easy call to make.”
Sophomore Chelsea Reed finished with seven points and three assists, while sophomore Tabatha Piper filled the stat sheet recording six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Senior’s Chelsea Cannon and Rachel Snedegar chipped in four and two points respectively, while combining for seven rebounds.
“I’m so proud of our seniors, not just as players, but as people as well,” Richardson said. “This team was picked to finish fifth in the conference preseason poll, but nobody in our locker room accepted that. I don’t think anyone thought these girls would be playing in this championship game tonight, but we did.”
Ohio Northern was led by the OAC Tournament Most Valuable Player in Snyder, as she finished with a game-high 15 points. Senior Morgan Dumbaugh followed with 12 points, while freshman Brooke Espenschied added 10 points off the bench.
Junior’s Cenzie Yoder and Taylor Hermiller each tallied eight points, as sophomore Jordan Kimes chipped in eight points as well.
Now with a potential trip to the NCAA tournament on hold, the Cardinals await the news of whether or not they will be selected as an at-large bid.
“I think we deserve a chance,” Richardson said. “I thought it was awful last year when Northern didn’t make it. Not many conferences across the country can say they have seven teams with a winning record, so I think our 21 wins speak for themselves.”
Snedegar confirmed her coach’s comments as she thinks the conference is deserving of two representatives in the NCAA Tournament.
“We are in a very competitive and tough conference,” Snedegar said. “In which two teams were nationally ranked and we ended up beating one. We absolutely deserve a shot in the tournament.”
Coverage of the NCAA Division III women’s basketball selection show can be seen live at 2:30 p.m. on February 25.
