GRANVILLE, Ohio (Nov. 26) – For the second consecutive game, the Denison University men's basketball team clamped down defensively to record a double-digit victory over its opponent. The Big Red pushed out to an early lead and downed visiting Otterbein University by a 58-44 score in non-conference play Tuesday evening. 
 
This marked the second-straight game that Denison limited the opposition to 44 points as they picked up a victory. The Big Red improve to 4-0, its best start since the 2016-17 season. The loss drops the Cardinals to 2-2 on the young season.
 
Denison outpaced Otterbein by identical 29-22 scores in each half. The Big Red converted 46.8 percent of its field goal attempts (22-of-47). Denison was particularly strong in the second half, making 54.5 percent of its attempts. 
 
Senior forward Ricky Radtke posted 14 points and nine rebounds to pace the Big Red. Sophomore guard Kellon Smith scored 14 points while adding three steals and three rebounds. Aidan Smith turned in a nice night off the bench. The sophomore finished with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting including a 3-for-4 effort from beyond the arc. 
 
The 44 points were a season low for the Cardinals. Otterbein struggled offensively, with only 19 made field goals and 17 turnovers. 
 
Otterbein pushed out to early advantages of 5-2 and 7-4 before Denison put together a run to take an 11-7 lead on a three-point field goal by King at the 11:21 mark. 
 
Following a tie score at 15 all, Denison was able to gain some separation over the next few minutes as a triple by senior guard Scotty Dean and free throws by sophomore guard Jack Steinbach made it 22-17 in favor of the Big Red. 
 
The lead reached as many as eight points when Smith converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:35 to play in the opening half. Smith got a layup to go just before the halftime buzzer to allow Denison to take a 29-22 lead into the break.  
 
Denison was quick to push its lead into double digits in the opening minutes of the second half. A pair of field goals by senior Darren Rubin helped fuel the early surge. The lead reached 14 points when Kellon Smith knocked down a triple and senior Cameron Smith finished with a layup in the paint to give Denison a 45-31 advantage at the 10:05 mark. 
 
The Big Red led by at least nine points for the remainder of the game. A layup by King and free throws by Radtke pushed the lead back to 15 points (55-40) with just 2:33 showing on the clock. King buried a late triple with just 20 seconds to play as Denison finished off the 14-point victory. 
 
Chase Garito, who finished with 11 points, was the lone Cardinals player in double figures. 

Up Next: The Big Red will open North Coast Athletic Conference play at home versus Oberlin College on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The scheduled start time is slated for 7:30 p.m.