WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team dug itself out of an early deficit, but Otterbein University broke a 62-62 deadlock with a game-winning jumper from Cam Evans with three seconds remaining to earn a 65-62 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) win on Wednesday evening.
Otterbein started hot and built an 11-2 lead thanks in part to making its first four field goal attempts. A Justin Carter jumper midway through the second half put the hosts up 20-11, but the Fightin' Quakers turned it up a notch defensively as they would hold the Cardinals scoreless for over six minutes. During that stretch, Lucas Doty and Bryce Bird connected on triples on consecutive possessions to end the 12-0 run and give Wilmington a 23-20 lead, its first of the evening.
Anthony Freeman, who was coming off a career-best, 27-point performance in the win over John Carroll University on Saturday, hit a triple with a minute left in the half to put WC in front 32-25, but Otterbein scored the final two baskets to made it a one-possession game (32-29) at halftime. It was there, a one-possession game, the contest would stay for the first half of the second half until a 4-0 run from Dallas Patrick put the Cardinals on top 46-40.
The hosts would hold that slim advantage for nearly nine minutes until a Jeffery Mansfield triple with 2:03 to play tied the game 60-60. Turnovers for both teams followed, and after a Carter layup put Otterbein up a deuce, Mansfield tied it with a basket of his own. The Cardinals called timeout, and it paid off as Evans nailed what proved to be the game-winner.
Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field and over 30 percent from distance with the hosts making three more field goals (25-22). Both sides hit seven triples while the visitors made three more (11-8) free throws with both teams taking 14. Otterbein held a 32-26 rebounding advantage that including 11 offensive rebounds.
Individually, Mansfield led all scorers with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 36 minutes. The reigning OAC Player of the Week also grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. Bird and Doty combined for 17 points off the bench. For Otterbein, a trio of Cardinals - Evans, Carter and Patrick - scored in double figures.
Wilmington continues OAC play at Baldwin Wallace University on Saturday.