Match-Up
No. 2 seed Otterbein hosts No. 3 seed Mount Union in the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Rike Center in Westerville, Ohio.
 
Fans can follow the game online with Live Video | Live Stats
 
Tickets
OAC Tournament tickets prices are $11 for adults and $6 for non-OAC students. Click HERE to purchase tickets.
 
There is a double header as their men will be playing at 5 pm with the women's game tipping off at 8 p.m. after. There will be no re-admittance to the facility.
 
Teams
The Purple Raiders (18-8, 9-7 OAC) entering the semifinals having won their last five games.
 
Otterbein (20-5, 14-2 OAC) has won its last seven games and the Cardinals also swept the regular season meetings with a 64-53 victory in Westerville and a 61-53 victory in Alliance.
 
Mount Union is the top OAC scoring offense with 71.2 points per game while Otterbein is fifth averaging 67.1 points. On the defensive end Otterbein is second in scoring defense allowing 52.0 points per game while Mount Union is third allowing 57.5 points.
 
Mount Union is the top rebounding team in the OAC with 42.6 rebounds per game while Otterbein is third at 40.3 rebounds. Otterbein is at the top of the OAC for the least amount of turnovers per game at 13.0 while Mount Union is sixth at 16.5 turnovers.
 
Players
 
Mount Union junior Elizabeth Mason (Alliance / Marlington) leads the Raiders and is sixth in the OAC in scoring at 12.1 points per game and is seventh in the OAC in rebounds per game at 6.8. Senior Mckayla Dunkle (Cadiz / Harrison Central) is second on the team in scoring and rebounds with 8.7 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game. Mason was just named to first team All-OAC this morning while Dunkle was a second team All-OAC honoree.
 
Otterbein's Mattie Walburn leads the Cardinals in scoring and is seventh in the OAC with 11.9 points per game. Cameron Sparks is third in scoring for the Cardinals at 9.6 points per game and is second in the OAC in rebounds per game with 8.7. Walburn was a first team All-OAC selection while Sparks is the OAC freshman of the year and second team All-OAC.
 
OAC Tournament History
It is the 35th OAC Tournament appearance for Mount Union as the Raiders have a 32-29 record and won titles in 1998, 2011, 2012 and 2016. Mount Union just picked up a 74-57 victory in the Quarterfinals on Tuesday over the No. 6 seed Marietta Pioneers.
 
Otterbein is making its 34th OAC Tournament appearance with a 17-34 record in tournament games. Otterbein has made the OAC championship game twice but lost both times. Otterbein last year upset No. 3 seed John Carroll 71-54 in the quarterfinals and then lost to No. 2 seed Ohio Northern 55-42.
 
Mount Union and Otterbein have met six previous times in the tournament with the Raiders winning five of the six matchups. The first five matchups have come in the quarterfinals with the last matchup coming in the semifinals.
 
2013 - #2 Otterbein 80, #3 Mount Union 57 (Semifinals)
2011 - #1 Mount Union 70, #8 Otterbein 52 (Quarterfinals)
2010 - #2 Mount Union 59, #7 Otterbein 56 (Quarterfinals)
2003 - #5 Mount Union 88, #4 Otterbein 76 (Quarterfinals)
2001 - #6 Mount Union 90, #3 Otterbein 70 (Quarterfinals)
1994 - #2 Mount Union 64, #7 Otterbein 59 (Quarterfinals)
 
Up Next ...
The winner advances to Saturday's OAC Championship playing the winner of the No. 1 seed Baldwin Wallace and the No. 5 seed Ohio Northern at the best seed remaining.
 
Coaches
Suzy Venet (Mount Union '98) is 311-212 (.595) in her 21st season at her alma mater.  She has led the Raiders to four OAC Tournament titles, two OAC regular season titles with four trips to the NCAA Tournament including making it to the Sweet 16 in 2010 and 2012.
 
Diana Noles (Otterbein '04) is 97-71 (.577) in her seventh season at Capital and has led the Cardinals back to the OAC tournament for the second straight season.