Men's Basketball Defeats Otterbein; Advances To Semifinals Of OAC Tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otterbein (8-19) | 31 | 29 | 60 |
| Mount Union (12-14) | 33 | 33 | 66 |
| Alliance, Ohio -- MAAC | |||
| Otterbein | Mount Union |
|---|---|
| Pts: 2 Players (#22, #32 - 12) | Pts: Steve Griffin - 21 |
| Reb: Andy Yazrombek - 10 | Reb: 3 Players (#10, #24, #30 - 6) |
| Ast: Andy Yazrombek - 6 | Ast: 2 Players (#03, #10 - 3) |
| Team Statistics | Otterbein | Mount Union |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 37.7% (23-61 ) | 40.6% (26-64 ) |
| Rebounds | 40 | 40 |
| Assists | 14 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 6 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 8 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 22 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 30 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 20 | 16 |
ALLIANCE, Ohio - - Sophomore Stevie Griffin (Canton/Massillon Jackson) scored a game-high 21 points as No. 4 seed Mount Union defeated No. 8 seed Otterbein 66-60 in a second round game of the Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Tuesday evening in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex.
The win by the Purple Raiders (12-14) was their first post-season win since 2005 and advances them to the semifinals Thursday at 7:30 pm at top-seeded Capital.
Senior Matt Kiger (Williamstown, W. Va./Williamstown) had 13 points and both junior T.J. Gillespie (Toledo/St. John's) and freshman Cody Dillon (Newton Falls/Newton Falls) each added 12 to round out the double-digit scorers for the Raiders.
Jake Bischoff and Max Van Meter each had 12 points to lead Otterbein (8-19).
The Raiders got off to a quick start as they would take a 14-6 lead five minutes into the game.
Freshman Taylor Moore (North Canton/Hoover) gave the Raiders their biggest lead of the game at 12 points, as he hit a jumper to make the score 21-9 with 11:43 remaining in the first half.
The Cardinals would cut the Raiders lead to one point, 25-24 when Bischoff hit a jumper with 5:54 to go in the first half which capped a 15-4 run by Otterbein.
Mount Union would lead for the remainder of the half and take a 33-30 advantage into the locker room.
Otterbein would take its first lead of the game with 13:34 left when Jon Jurgens scored a layup to make the score 43-42.
The Raiders answered right back with a basket of their own to regain the lead for good when Gillespie hit a layup to make the score 44-43.
Mount Union would push its lead to as much as 10 points when Griffin scored a layup with 7:52 remaining to make the score 57-47.
Bischoff hit a three-pointer with 4:50 to go to cut the Raiders lead to three at 59-56, but this was the closest the Cardinals would get as Mount Union would go on for the 66-60 victory.
