The Otterbein men's basketball team came into Wednesday's game against the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern University with the hopes that they could pick up a much needed win following their disappointing losses to Wilmington and Mount Union. They seemed to be on the right track after a quick start, but were unable to hold off the Polar Bears, as they dropped the OAC contest, 72-56, in the Rike Center.
At the outset of the game, both teams struggled to score, going almost two minutes before the first basket. Otterbein scored the first seven points of the game, holding Northern without a field goal for the first five minutes. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they couldn't take advantage of the fast start, as they found themselves tied at nine halfway through the first half.
The poor shooting performances of both teams continued throughout the half, with both teams failing to convert opportunity after opportunity. The Polar Bears pulled out to a 23-18 lead by halftime in a period of basketball that was played within a seven-point window the entire way.
Northern shook off the cobwebs in the second half, scoring the first six points and eight of the first nine. The lead continued to grow for the Polar Bears, as the three-point shots that weren't falling in the first half all seemed to find their way into the basket in the second half. Their largest lead of the game was 24 points.
Otterbein made a valiant attempt to come back with a 16-1 run, bringing the score to 36-47 with just over four minutes left in the game. Freshman Darrell Miller III led the way with thirteen points, but he was the only player to score in double-digits for the Cardinals.
The score never got any tighter, with the Polar Bears hitting enough free throws down the stretch to hold off the Cardinals and extend their final lead to 16 at 72-56.
After the game, Head Coach Todd Adrian was not happy with the teams effort level.
"You don't always get a consistent effort everyday, especially when you are playing with so many young guys," Adrian said.
When asked about the quick turnaround of Ohio Northern's offense, Adrian said "we didn't play great defense in the first half, they were just missing shots. We were lucky to be in the game at the half."
With the loss, Otterbein drops to 3-15 overall and 2-9 in the OAC, while Ohio Northern improves to 9-9 and 4-7 in the conference. The Cardinals next game will be Saturday at Muskingum University. Tip off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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