Postseason play began Tuesday evening for the Otterbein women’s basketball team as it traveled to rival Capital, winning 66-53. The game was a tight affair until the Cardinals pulled away in the third quarter to secure the first-round victory.
Senior Dani Kissel led the visitors, tallying 20 points. Kissel amounted a total of over 1,500 points over her career, now second overall in the program's history.
The Cardinals took a 12-10 lead at the 3:43 mark of the first quarter on a layup by Abbie Scholz. The Cardinals would lead for the rest of the first half en route to a 27-24 advantage going into halftime.
The outset of the second half was close as the Crusaders led 32-31 early in the third quarter. The game was even at 36-36 at the 5:40 mark before Otterbein outscored Capital in a 16-6 run, carrying a 52-42 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Capital started off the fourth quarter on a quick 6-0 run to narrow the gap to four points (52-48) with a little over eight minutes left to play. Kissel connected on a three-pointer to stop the run.
The Crusaders once again narrowed the gap to 57-53 on the strength of a 5-0 run with 3:05 remaining in the contest. The Cardinals ended the game on a 9-0 run, securing the victory.
Delaney Cutteridge and Ali Cartnal were other double-digit contributors for the Cardinals, scoring 16 and 11 points, respectively. Alex Schaffer assisted the score off the bench, contributing eight points for the Cardinals.
Otterbein held a significant advantage in bench points, outscoring Capital 24-9. The Cardinals capitalized off the Crusader’s turnovers holding a 17-7 edge.
Next up for Otterbein is a semifinal matchup traveling to top-seeded John Carroll on Thursday evening.
