WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Amanda Rose (Uniontown/Green) scored 17 points, leading a quintet of scorers in double-figures, as the nationally-ranked Mount Union's women's basketball team rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Otterbein, 68-64, in an Ohio Athletic Conference opener on Saturday.

Trailing 29-20 at halftime, the Purple Raiders opened the second half with 13 consecutive points. Rose scored five points during the run and Brittany Kilgore (Northfield/Nordonia) put in four.

Kori Wiedt (North Olmsted/North Olmsted) and Rosa LaMattina (Westlake/Westlake) made baskets to close the run, which gave Mount Union a 33-29 lead with 17:03 left.

The Purple Raiders' last deficit was at 44-42. They scored the game's next eight points, including five by LaMattina, who buried a go-ahead three-pointer with 9:43 left. Katie Crider (Brunswick/Brunswick) added a trey during the run, which helped Mount Union to a 50-44 lead.

From that moment, Mount Union did not relinquish the lead.

The Cardinals (2-4, 0-1) pulled within two points on six different occasions, but the Raiders clung to the lead by making 5 of 7 free throws during the final five minutes.

Kelley Bourke hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds left, closing Otterbein's deficit with 66-64 to go, before Wiedt connected for two freebies with seven ticks on the clock.

LaMattina finished 14 points, five assists and three steals while Crider contributed 13 points for the Purple Raiders (5-0, 1-0).

Wiedt contributed 11 points, six rebounds and five assists while Kilgore finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

Otterbein's Shea McCoy led all scorers with 30 points. Hannah Day added 11 points and 10 rebounds while Kristi Kotterman grabbed 11 boards.

The Raiders, who are ranked seventh on the D3Hoops.com poll and ninth on the ESPN/USA Today poll, will continue OAC play on Wednesday. The are scheduled to host John Carroll at 7:30 p.m.