WESTERVILLE – The Wilmington College men's basketball team made it a point to get the ball to the paint, and the results were fruitful as the Fightin' Quakers posted the 88-67 victory Wednesday over Otterbein at the Rike Center in Ohio Athletic Conference action.

Wilmington scored 55 percent of their points in the paint in recording the pivotal win for seeding in the OAC tournament.

"We made a concerted effort to attack inside and attack the rim," said Wilmington head coach K.C. Hunt. "We attacked off the dribble and attacked off screens."

Senior Malcolm Heard II (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington) was the primary beneficiary of the offensive game plan. He finished with 26 points and eight rebounding, marking the ninth time this season the league's leading scorer has surpassed the 20-point plateau. Senior Klarke Ransome (Richwood, OH/North Union) scored 16 points, and junior Dwight Johnson (Dayton, OH/Jefferson) added 11 points.

Junior R.J. Leppert (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East) finished with eight rebounds.

Although the team was only credited with 11 assists, Hunt was pleased with his team's performance.

"This was closer to the team I want us to be," he said. "We shared the ball very well; swung the ball from side to side, and was able to play inside out. We got plenty of post touches. However, we are still not a finished product."

Wilmington's point guards bookended a game-changing 23-6 run that ended the first half. First senior Taylor Wellman (Norwood, OH/Norwood) spark the rally assisting on a three-pointer, recording a lay-up and them capping a three-point play to give Wilmington a lead. Then Johnson scored eight straight points in the latter stages pushing the advantage to double figures.

The Fightin' Quakers never allowed Otterbein to get back to within single figures and pushed the lead to as much as 27 points.

Wilmington (14-7 overall, 11-4 OAC) travels to John Carroll 3 p.m. Saturday in Ohio Athletic Conference action. WC holds a two-game lead over Ohio Northern and a three-game lead over the Blue Streaks for the tournament's third seed.