Men’s basketball had a rough go at it this week with a pair of losses to #12 Marietta College and Capital University.
The Cardinals faced off against Marietta in a tough home game on Wednesday, Jan. 29 and failed to gain momentum on the court beyond the first 10 minutes. About midway through the first half the Cardinals stalled, managing to score only two points the rest of the half, while the pioneers went on an 18-2 run to end the half.
Otterbein would fight back and bring the deficit down to eight, but another 9-0 run by Marietta would keep the Cardinals at bay. The pioneers would keep the throttle down the rest of the game, fending off the Cardinals for a victory.
The biggest key to victory was the shooting, as Otterbein was left 1 for 23 from beyond the arc and shot only 34 percent for the game.
Otterbein fell short of victory against cross town rival Capital University on Saturday, Feb. 1 for the second time this season after a rough start to the game.
The cardinals failed to make shots and struggled on defense early on, leaving the score at 21-8 throughout the first 10 minutes. Otterbein would outscore the crusaders in the second half, but still could not piece together a win. Capital led the whole game shooting 50 percent from the field.
Junior and freshman guards Mo Beavers and Dallas Patrick continue to show out for the Cardinals, with Beavers scoring a combined 29 points while Patrick had 30.
Otterbein, now 3-9 in the conference and 6-16 overall, will face Wilmington College at Wilmington on Wednesday at 7 p.m., and Mount Union at home on Saturday at 2 p.m.
