WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein never led the entire night… until the final horn. In an absolute thriller Wednesday at another rowdy Rike Center, the Cardinals used a buzzer-beating three pointer from sophomore Cam Evans to somehow, some way overtake Adrian College by a 71-70 final.

Otterbein, behind third-year head coach Andy Winters and a balanced roster, now stands with a 4-1 record for the first time since back in 2004.

WHAT TRANSPIRED:

• Adrian opened strong behind leading scorer Connor Pelham, grabbing an 11-3 lead after five minutes of back-and-forth action.
   
• Otterbein worked to settle in and hang close, but the Bulldogs extended their margin back to double digits on four separate occasions. Adrian carried a 38-27 lead into the break behind 18 from Pelham, shooting 59 percent to overcome 13 turnovers.
   
• Adrian led by 14 early in the second half but Otterbein found a push behind its own leading scorer, junior Dallas Patrick. The swingman had a stretch of nine-straight points… teaming with Justin Carter for a 13-4 run to bring the Cards within four by the midway mark.
   
• The Bulldogs, continuing to find success at the rim and on back-cuts, weathered that storm and recaptured a double-digit lead (62-52) with six minutes left in regulation.
   
• Otterbein mounted its final run, this time needing every second on the clock. The Cards finally got back to a possession (65-62) with 3:18 left, and then trailed 69-68 after Patrick converted a smooth layup with 14 seconds remaining…
   
• Phariz Watkins, a transfer from Heidelberg, then split a pair of free throws in front of Otterbein's student section (more on them below). Dominic Cantrella hurried up-court and drove baseline, kicking the ball to Justin Carter in the corner. The fifth-year veteran made one extra pass to Evans on the wing, and his contested game-winning look fell right as the horn sounded.

 
STAT CHECK:

• Otterbein scored 44 points in the second half, shooting 57 percent in the frame compared to just a .346 effort before the break.
   
• Patrick turned in a strong double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, after holding just four points at intermission. Evans scored 16 on 6-of-7 shooting while Carter added 12.
   
• Adrian went just 2 of 9 at the free-throw line down the stretch after Otterbein's student section, comprised mostly of baseball players once again, started barking like bulldogs.
   
• Pelham scored just one point in the second half and fouled out with 1:34 remaining.
   
• Adrian shot 53 percent for the game and scored 50 points in the paint, while Otterbein posted a 27-15 edge in bench scoring.

 
LOOKING AHEAD:

Otterbein will now gear up for its Roush Auto Rivalry Showdown against nearby Capital, making the short trip over to Bexley this coming Saturday for tip at 4 p.m.