Otterbein College Women's Basketball

WESTERVILLE, OHIO - After back-to-back 14-12 seasons the two previous years, Otterbein went 12-14 in 2008 and bowed out in the opening round of the conference tournament for the third-straight season. This season, the team will look to combine eight returning letterwinners, including three starters, with an exciting newcomer to work towards making a run in OAC postseason play.

Gone is all-time leading scorer Laura Roth, but returning are a pair of senior leaders in guard Karli Volkmer and forward Katy Miller.

Miller, a 2008 All-OAC Honorable Mention selection last season, finished fourth in the league in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and was the Cardinals’ second-leading scorer at 10.3 ppg. She led the Cardinals in minutes played (30.1/game) and blocked shots (21). In addition, she shot .436 (112 of 257) from the field.

Volkmer tallied 10.2 ppg a year ago and earned a spot on the Academic All-OAC honorable mention team. She was second on the team in steals and grabbed four rebounds per contest.

The team also will boast a third senior with crucial experience in post Allison Huettel. The Pickerington native held averages of 5.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg while playing in all 26 games, with seven starts, a season ago.

“The experience of the three seniors will be crucial in the success,” said 19th-year head coach Connie Richardson. “They will be key in our leadership as well as providing the learning blocks for the younger players.”

Sophomore guard Kristi Kotterman, who appeared in the starting lineup in all but five games last season, will be back; and the team will also look for sophomores Katie Stallard and Natalie Conkle to assume even larger roles in 2009. Stallard played in all 26 games as a freshman, averaging 4.1 ppg., while Conkle appeared in every game but three.

“The best thing about a freshman is that they become sophomores,” said Richardson. “This group has matured and grown over the course of the past spring and summer months, and each will provide us with experience and depth that will be components to our success.”

The Cards welcome sophomore point guard Shea McCoy to the mix, as the Mansfield native will be spending her first season in Westerville after transferring from Indiana Tech. In addition, the team hopes to take advantage of the skills possessed by some incoming freshman.

“All of our newcomers will have an opportunity to step in and contribute,” Richardson said. “How much, we will see.”

“Shea will obviously give us the look of a true point guard,” continued Richardson, “as she has somewhat of a pass-first mentality. However, she is very capable of scoring, just like everyone else on our team.”

With Roth, a four-time All-OAC pick, and starting forward Carla Lewis having departed, Richardson will now look to mold this specific group of players into part a winning formula.

“Each year, unfortunately, you lose good players and ones who were crucial in your success,” she explained. “I don’t think you ever replace, but instead you look to build around those who have returned and how to fit in your newcomers. It is one of the fun things we do as coaches…put the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Richardson, needing two victories to reach 250 for her career, understands the importance of forming together as a single-unit in order to be successful.

“They are a very talented group,” continued Richardson, “but talent alone doesn’t win you games. Chemistry and leadership are crucial to our success and those don’t just appear overnight. We are in the process of building our foundation and will go out and compete each and every night and see where that takes us.”

Otterbein opens its season vs. Defiance at the Adrian Tournament on November 20.

Roth, Volkmer Selected to Academic All-OAC Team
Written March 4, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Senior guard Laura Roth and junior guard Karli Volkmer have been named to the Ohio Athletic Conference All-Academic team, the conference office announced Monday morning.

Roth, a first-team selection in 2008, was again named to the first team this year while Volkmer earned a spot on the honorable mention team.

A nursing major, Roth led the team and ranked fifth in the OAC in scoring this season with a 15.8 ppg average. In addition, she ranked in the top ten in the league in four other statistical categories, including assists and three-point percentage.

Volkmer, an early childhood education major, finished the season as the team’s third-leading scorer (10.2 ppg) after ranking second on the club in scoring the entire season.

Roth and Volkmer served as the team’s co-captains this past season as the team went 12-14 and nearly upset NCAA tournament qualifier Baldwin-Wallace in the opening round of the OAC Tournament.

Roth, Miller Earn All-Conference Honors
Written March 4, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE,OHIO – Otterbein senior guard Laura Roth and junior forward Katy Miller have earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference selections in women’s basketball, the conference office announced Wednesday morning.

Roth was named to the All-OAC first team while Miller was named honorable mention.

Roth, a four-time All-OAC pick and three-time first team selection, led the Cards and ranked fifth in the league in scoring this season by totaling 15.8 ppg. In addition, she led the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.439) and ranked second in both assists (4.8/game) and free-throw shooting (.867). She also sat third in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.2) and seventh in steals (1.85/game).

Miller tied for fourth in the league in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and was the team’s second-leading scorer this winter at 10.3 ppg. She led the Cardinals in minutes played (30.1/game) and blocked shots (21). In addition, she shot .436 (112 of 257) from the field.

Roth and Miller were the only two players that started all 26 games for the Cards this season.

Otterbein ended their season with a 12-14 record and nearly upset NCAA Tournament qualifier Baldwin-Wallace in the opening round of the OAC Tournament.

Jessica McKenzie (Muskingum) and Danielle Sanna (Capital) were selected as the Co-Players of the Year in the conference while Muskingum head coach Beth Fox was chosen as the OAC Coach of the Year.

Butzer's Late Shot Propels B-W Past Otterbein
Written February 24, 2009 by Adam Prescott

BEREA, OHIO – Seventh seeded Otterbein (12-14) fell short in an upset bid of second-seeded Baldwin Wallace (20-6) by suffering a close 70-68 loss Tuesday evening at the Ursprung Gymnasium.

The visiting Cardinals opened the game on an 11-4 run by riding the hot hand of junior forward Katy Miller, who totaled eight points in the first six minutes of play.

Baldwin-Wallace, the defending OAC Tournament champions, then fought back to tie the game at 13-13 when Rachael Quiring nailed a three-pointer from the left corner at the 10:55 mark of the opening half.

Otterbein responded with five straight points, the last two coming on a layup from freshman center Natalie Conkle off an assist from freshman guard Kristi Kotterman with 8:40 to play in the half, making the score 18-13.

The Yellow-Jackets then took their first lead of the contest, at 22-21, when Jessica Butzer buried her second of back-to-back three-pointers with 4:30 showing on the game clock.

The lead would change hands four times in as many minutes, the last coming when B-W’s Ariel Brough corralled a loose ball of an Otterbein block and made a layup to beat the first half buzzer. The score would give the hosts a slim 27-26 halftime lead.

The Cards shot .407 in the opening frame compared to .290 for Baldwin-Wallace. Miller tallied ten points on 4-of-4 shooting in the half.

B-W then took a 31-26 lead after scoring four points in the opening minute of the second stanza.

The Cardinals responded and took a 37-35 lead at the 14:01 mark when senior guard Laura Roth scored the fifth on her nine straight points on a free-throw to finish off an old-fashioned three-point play after she was fouled making a fast-break layup.

After four lead changes, a layup from Miller gave the Cards a 49-46 advantage with 8:13 left and prompted a B-W timeout.

The Yellow Jackets answered back when Quiring converted a three-point play with a free-throw with 6:39 on the game clock, giving her team a 51-49 lead.

Down 62-58, Roth connected on a free-throw with 2:18 remaining to bring the contest to a one possession game at 62-59.

Miller then nailed a short baseline jumper on the Cards next possession to bring the game within one, but Quiring answered on the ensuing B-W possession to push the lead back to three, at 64-61 with 1:31 left to play.

Roth answered yet again, this time from beyond the arc as she buried a long straightway three-pointer to even the game at 64-64 with 1:17 to go.

Amanda Schroeder then put the hosts up 66-64 when she connected on two free-throws out of a B-W timeout.

After a Roth layup that brought the game back to even, Schroeder made two more shots from the charity stripe to give the Yellow Jackets another two point lead.

Senior forward Carla Lewis then sank a jumper inside the paint on the next possession to tie the game at 68-68 with 30 seconds remaining.

Holding for the last shot, Butzer drove to her left and nailed a pull up jumper with 2.1 seconds remaining. The shot would prove to be the game-winner as Otterbein was unable to get off a shot attempt in the final seconds.

Roth scored a game-high 24 points (22 in the second half) in her last game as Cardinal. She finishes her career as the Otterbein all-time leading scorer with 1,598 points and ranks 15^th in Ohio Athletic Conference history.

Miller finished with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting while Lewis netted ten points.

Butzer, who led B-W in scoring in both previous contests with the Cards this season, once again led her team by tallying 18 points in this meeting. Schroeder added 14 points while Serena Farage grabbed a game-best 11 boards.

The Cardinals shot .491 from the field compared to .371 for the Yellow Jackets. B-W held a 38-33 edge on the glass, including 16 offensive rebounds.

Cards Travel to B-W in Opening Round of OAC Tournament
Written February 23, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Seventh seeded Otterbein (12-13, 8-10 OAC) travels to play Baldwin-Wallace (19-6, 14-4), the #2 seed, on Tuesday evening in the opening round of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament. Tip-off from the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Cardinals enter the tournament after falling 84-59 to Capital in the regular season finale Saturday while the Yellow-Jackets enter postseason play after earning a 75-43 victory over Marietta this past weekend.

Otterbein is led by senior guard Laura Roth, who finished the regular season ranked fifth in the conference in scoring (15.5 ppg). Roth leads the OAC in three-point percentage (.441) and three-pointers made (63 total, 2.52/game) while also ranking second in both assists (4.8/game) and free-throw percentage (.868).

Junior guard Karli Volkmer ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg while junior forward Katy Miller is a close third at 10.1 ppg. Both players have shot an identical .429 from the field this season while Miller ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding (7.6 rpg).

Senior forward Carla Lewis is scoring 9.0 points per outing and sits seventh in the league with a .500 field-goal percentage.

As a team, Otterbein is scoring 68.4 points per contest (fourth-best in the OAC) while allowing 70.1. The Cards lead the conference in three-point percentage (.375) and assists (16.5/game).

The Yellow-Jackets offensive attack is paced by Amanda Schroeder, who sits tenth in the league with a 13.6 ppg average. Schroeder also leads the team in three-point percentage (.423) and free-throw shooting (.817) in addition to tying for the team lead in steals with 24.

Jessica Butzer comes off the Baldwin-Wallace bench to average 10.7 ppg, good enough for second-best on the team. She is tied with Schroeder in steals and is shooting .461 from the floor this winter.

Ariel Brough scores 8.7 ppg and ranks seventh in the OAC with 7.2 rebounds per outing. Brough leads the conference with 71 blocked shots and ranks sixth in the league with a .512 field-goal percentage.

As a team, Baldwin-Wallace is scoring 68.2 ppg but is only surrendering 56.1, good enough for second in the OAC. The squad leads the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.339) and rebounding margin (+5.5), and blocked shots (5.5/game).

The Yellow Jackets swept the season series with the Cardinals, winning 80-55 in the first meeting in Berea and earning a 73-63 victory in Westerville earlier this month. Roth averaged 21.5 ppg in the two games this season while Butzer led B-W in scoring during both contests, averaging 18 and 15 points respectively in the first two meetings.

Otterbein Finishes Regular Season With Loss at Capital
Written February 21, 2009 by Adam Prescott

BEXLEY, OHIO – Capital (19-5, 15-3 OAC) took control early and never looked back as Otterbein (12-13, 8-10 OAC) suffered an 84-59 defeat at the hands of the Crusaders Saturday afternoon at the Capital Center.

With the victory, Capital wins the OAC regular season title and will be the #1 seed in next week’s Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament.

Capital opened the game on an 11-3 run capped by a Caitlin Elsass jumper at the 15:48 mark.

The Purple and White then pushed their lead to 31-15 when Katy Lafferty connected on a free-throw with 6:57 left to play in the opening frame.

Capital was able to build their lead to as many as 31 points in the second half before finishing with an 84-59 victory.

Freshman post Natalie Conkle led the Otterbein attack with 12 points while freshman guard Kristi Kotterman scored 11.

Kristen Richardson led all scorers with a game-high 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting while Elsass and Danielle Sanna tallied 17 and 16 points, respectively.

Otterbein will be the seventh seed in the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament and will travel to play second-seeded Baldwin-Wallace on Tuesday. Tip-off from Berea is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Yellow Jackets swept the season series with the Cardinals, winning 80-55 in the first meeting in Berea and earning a 73-63 victory in Westerville earlier this month.

Cards to Conclude Regular Season at Capital
Written February 19, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (12-12, 8-9 OAC) travels to play Capital (18-5, 14-3 OAC) Saturday, 4 p.m., in the second game of a men’s and women’s double-header at the Capital Center in Bexley.

The Cardinals currently sit in a tie for sixth place in the Ohio Athletic Conference with John Carroll while the Crusaders sit atop the conference standings.

Otterbein travels to Bexley after falling 64-59 at Wilmington Wednesday evening. Senior guard and preseason All-America selection Laura Roth dropped a game-high 22 points in the loss while junior forward Katy Miller recorded a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.

Roth (15.8 ppg) leads the Cardinal offense and ranks fifth in the OAC in scoring. In addition, she sits second in the league in assists (4.96/game) and leads the conference in free-throw shooting (.879), three-pointers made (62, 2.58/game), and three-point field goal percentage (.446). She has started in a school-record 103 consecutive games and leads the team with 43 steals this season.

Juniors Katy Miller and Karli Volkmer combine to add 21.1 ppg to an Otterbein offensive attack that scores 68.8 ppg, good enough for fourth in the conference. Miller sits fourth in the OAC in rebounding (7.8 rpg) and has recorded six double-doubles this winter.

Senior forward Carla Lewis (9.8 ppg) and freshman guard Kristi Kotterman (8.3 ppg) round out the Otterbein starting five. Lewis sits sixth in the conference with a .503 field-goal percentage while Kotterman has dished out the second-most assists on the team (2.5/game). Kotterman is also the conference’s fifth-leading freshman scorer.

Capital enters the regular-season finale after defeating Heidelberg 84-52 in Bexley Wednesday evening. With the victory, the Crusaders clinched at least a share of the regular season title and earned the #1 seed in next week’s OAC Tournament. Junior guard Kristen Richardson led the team with 21 points in the game while senior guard Daniele Sanna totaled 17 points.

Sanna (13.5 ppg) and Richardson (13.3 ppg) pace a Capital offense that scores 67.6 ppg, a mark that sits them sixth in the league. Sanna and Richardson rank in the top five in the OAC in both field-goal percentage and steals, while Sanna also ranks in the top ten in free-throw percentage (.786).

Senior forward Caitlin Elsass is third on the team in scoring at 12.2 ppg. She ranks ninth in the conference in rebounding (6.8 rpg), and seventh in blocked shots (0.95/game).

The Crusaders lead the conference in scoring defense (53.5 ppg) while Otterbein allows 69.5 ppg, a mark that places them eighth in the league.

Earlier this season, Capital earned a 73-57 victory at the Rike Center behind a game-high 20 points from Richardson. Roth and Miller both scored 14 in the contest, while Miller hauled in ten rebounds to record a double-double.

With a victory, Otterbein will achieve their 11th consecutive winning season under Head Coach Connie Richardson.

Otterbein Comes Up Short at Wilmington
Written February 18, 2009 by Adam Prescott

Wilmington, OHIO – Otterbein (12-12, 8-9 OAC) fell to Wilmington (18-6, 11-6 OAC) by a score of 64-59 Wednesday evening at the Fred Raizk Arena.

Otterbein took an early 10-7 lead when senior guard Laura Roth buried a three-pointer just three minutes into the game.

Wilmington then responded with a 10-0 run to take a 17-10 advantage with 11:08 left to play in the opening frame.

The Cards were able to battle back and eventually trailed just 33-30 at the break.

The Quakers began the second half on a 13-4 run capped by an Allie Meranda three-pointer with 13:43 showing on the game clock.

The Cards withstood the run and fought back to within four, at 51-47, when junior guard Karli Volkmer made a jumper with just under nine minutes to play.

Otterbein then made it a one possession game with 1:29 left to play when junior forward Katy Miller sank a free-throw, brining the deficit to just 59-56.

However, the Quakers made five of their six free-throw attempts in the final 38 seconds of the contest to hold on for a hard fought 64-59 victory.

Roth made five of seven three-point attempts en route to scoring a game-high 22 points for Otterbein. Miller tallied a double-double with 13 points and ten caroms while Volkmer chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds.

Claire Brown and Kortney Kin led Wilmington with 14 points each while Meranda scored 11.

Otterbein concludes the regular season by traveling to play cross-town rival Capital on Saturday in the second game of a men’s and women’s double-header. Tip-off from the Capital Center is slated for 4 p.m.

Cards Even OAC Record with Win at Heidelberg
Written February 14, 2009 by Adam Prescott

TIFFIN, OHIO--Otterbein (12-11, 8-8 OAC) defeated Heidelberg (6-17, 3-13 OAC) by a score of 70-61 Saturday afternoon in Tiffin to move their mark back to .500 in conference play.

Heidelberg grabbed an early lead, but the Cards evened the game at 16-16 when freshman guard Kristi Kotterman made a layup with eight minutes remaining in the opening frame.

Otterbein then took a four point advantage, at 28-24, when junior forward Katy Miller connected on a jump shot with just under two minutes remaining in the half.

The visiting Cardinals would eventually take a 32-26 lead into intermission.

The Student Princes tied the game back up at 42 when Stacy Baker hit a jumper with 14:30 remaining in the contest, but Otterbein pushed their lead to seven when Miller converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 11:30 showing on the second half clock.

A jumper from junior guard Karli Volkmer at the 5:18 mark then gave the Cards their first double-digit lead at 62-51. Heidelberg fought hard down the stretch, but was never able to get closer than five points as Otterbein earned a 70-61 victory.

Miller paced the Otterbein attack with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting while freshman forward Katie Stallard scored 11.

Brittany Skolnicki and Morgan Harrigan each tallied 18 points for Heidelberg.

The Cards shot .467 from the field compared to .348 for the Student Princes.

Otterbein next travels to play Wilmington this coming Wednesday. Tip-off from the Fred Raizk Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.

Otterbein Loses Close Contest With Baldwin-Wallace
Written February 11, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (11-11, 7-8 OAC) falls 73-63 to Baldwin Wallace (17-5, 12-3 OAC) Wednesday evening at the Rike Center.

With the loss, Otterbein falls to 11-11 on the season and 7-8 in the OAC while B-W moves its record to 17-5 and 12-3 in the conference.

The Yellow Jackets took an early 11-6 lead on an Amanda Schroeder triple with 11:25 to play in the opening frame.

Otterbein countered and took a 14-3 lead when senior guard Laura Roth converted a layup with 9:46 to play before the half.

The game saw five lead changes over the remainder of the opening stanza as B-W would eventually take a 30-25 lead into the break.

The Cards began the second half on a 17-8 run capped by a three-pointer from freshman forward Katie Stallard, giving Otterbein a 42-38 lead with 12:57 showing on the game clock.

The Yellow Jackets fought back and took a 54-47 advantage on a Jessica Butzer jumper with 9:06 to play.

The Cardinals closed the gap to four with an Allison Huettel layup with 6:16 remaining, but were never able to get any closer as Baldwin Wallace preserved a 73-63 victory.

Senior forward Carla Lewis led Otterbein and tied for a game-high 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while Roth scored 12 to go along with six assists. Huettel contributed ten points and six caroms.

Butzer came of the B-W bench and tied for a game-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while Schroeder tallied 14 points.

The Cards next return to action when they travel to play Heidelberg this Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Cardinals Return Home to Host Baldwin Wallace
Written February 10, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (11-10, 7-7 OAC) hosts Baldwin Wallace (16-5, 11-3 OAC) Wednesday, 7:30 pm., in the Rike Center as both teams look to pick up a conference victory.

The Cards currently hold down the sixth spot in the Ohio Athletic Conference while the Yellow Jackets sit alone in second place, one game behind league-leading Capital.

Otterbein returns home after falling 69-63 at Mount Union this past Saturday. The game was tied (62-62) with four minutes remaining, but Otterbein went on to miss their last 12 shots from the field en route to the defeat. Junior forward Katy Miller led all scorers in the game with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Senior guard Laura Roth leads Otterbein and is tied for fifth in the OAC in scoring with 16.1 ppg. She ranks third in the league in assists (5.0 apg) and leads the conference in both three-point percentage (.443) and free-throw shooting (.900).

Senior forward Carla Lewis ranks sixth in the league in field-goal percentage (.510) and has averaged 12.4 ppg and 8.6 rpg in the last five contests. She has tallied 30 points and 15 rebounds in her last two games.

Juniors Karli Volkmer and Katy Miller are combining to score 21.5 points per night while Miller sits fourth in the conference with 7.6 rebounds per outing.

Baldwin Wallace will be looking to win its season-high 13^th straight game after winning 57-46 at Wilmington on Saturday. Ariel Brough led Baldwin Wallace with 11 points in the contest while Amanda Schroeder and Serena Farage each tallied ten points. The Yellow Jackets also travel to Westerville looking for their 11^th straight OAC win.

Schroeder leads the team in scoring and ranks eighth in the league at 13.6 ppg. The sophomore also grabs 3.5 rpg, has 37 assists and is first with 28 three-pointers this season. Brough is leading the team with 7.3 rebounds per contest and is the OAC’s top shot-blocker with 65 on the season. In addition to already being the Baldwin Wallace all-time leader in blocked shots with 155, Brough is shooting .493 from the floor and ranks third on the team in scoring at 8.4 ppg.

Senior point guard Jessica Butzer comes off the Yellow Jacket bench to average 10.8 ppg, good enough for second on the team. She has tallied 21 steals this season and is shooting .478 (88-of-184) from the field.

Earlier this season, Baldwin Wallace earned an 80-55 victory in Berea behind 15 points from Butzer, who was one of five B-W players in double-figures. Roth led all scorers by dropping 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting for the Cardinals while Miller (11 points) was the only other Otterbein player to score double-digits.

Otterbein Comes Up Short at Mount Union
Written February 7, 2009 by Adam Prescott

ALLIANCE, OHIO – Otterbein (11-10, 7-7 OAC) fell victim to Mount Union (13-7, 8-6 OAC) by a score of 69-63 Saturday afternoon at the Timken Gymnasium.

The Purple Raiders jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead after Katie Crider hit two free-throws with 17:39 showing on the first half clock.

The Cards bounced back and grabbed a 14-12 lead on a three-pointer from freshman forward Katie Stallard with 13:57 left to play in the opening frame.

The game remained close throughout the last 12 minutes of the opening frame as neither side was able to build a lead more than three points.

Otterbein shot .455 from the field in the first half while the Raiders shot just .297.

Otterbein opened the second half strong by going on a 9-2 run over the first two and a half minutes to take a 45-35 lead.

However, Mount Union would surge back and eventually tie the game at 52-52 on a Crider three-pointer with 11:55 left to play.

The game would see-saw back and forth over the next six minutes until both teams found themselves locked in a tie again, this time at 62-62 with 5:34 left to play.

From that point on, Otterbein missed their last twelve shots from the field as the Raiders took control and earned a 69-63 victory.

Overall, the game featured 11 lead changes while the score was tied seven different times.

Otterbein junior forward Katy Miller led all scorers with 18 points, 13 of which came in the opening half. Senior forward Carla Lewis scored 14 and grabbed a game-best nine rebounds while senior guard Laura Roth added 11 points.

Mount was paced by 12 point from Crider while Stephanie Schwartz and Tessa Pohovey scored 10 each.

Otterbein next returns home to host Baldwin Wallace this Wednesday. Tip-off from the Rike Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Cardinals Prevail With Tight Victory Over Ohio Northern
Written February 4, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (11-9, 7-6 OAC) defeated Ohio Northern (8-12, 6-7 OAC) by a score of 73-69 Wednesday evening in the Rike Center.

Otterbein opened the game on a quick 7-0 run capped by a three-pointer from freshman guard Kristi Kotterman at the 17:51 mark.

Ohio Northern fought back and closed the gap to one, at 18-17, when Alisha Rinehart sank a free-throw with 8:10 to play before the half.

The Cards then outscored the Polar Bears 20-11 the remainder of the opening frame and took a 38-28 lead into the break.

Ohio Northern continued to fight from behind and pulled to within three when Rinehart made a layup to cut Otterbein’s lead to 52-49 with 10:27 showing on the game clock.

Otterbein then responded by pushing their lead to seven (61-54), when senior guard Laura Roth nailed a three-pointer with 6:30 remaining.

ONU then tied the game at 61-61 on a Megan Porter triple with 2:48 to play, but Roth answered on the ensuing Otterbein possession with a three-pointer of her own, putting the Cards back on top at 64-61.

Junior forwards Katy Miller and Allison Huettel then scored six of the game’s next eight points before a late Ohio Northern brought them back to within one, when Erica Schoenberger buried a three-pointer off an Otterbein turnover with just 47 seconds to play.

However, a jumper from senior forward Carla Lewis on the next possession put the Cards back up by three, and senior point guard Jessica Tonges made a free-throw with just two seconds left after corralling a loose ball to finish the scoring.

Lewis paced Otterbein with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting while Miller and Roth chipped in 14 points each. Huettel tallied 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting while Tonges, who played a career-high 32 minutes, finished with six rebounds, five points, five assists, and just one turnover.

Rinehart led all scorers with 25 points while Kara Dysert scored 19 and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Otterbein next travels to Alliance to play Mount Union this Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. In addition, the game will be broadcasted on SportsTime Ohio on Sunday the 8th at 4 p.m. and Monday the 9th at 9 p.m.

Three and a half years ago, Laura Roth came to Otterbein with a feeling of uncertainty. Averaging around 13 ppg in high school, Roth knew how to score but never sat atop any scoring list in the stats section. Considering that Division III athletes tend to not be as heavily recruited as scholarship athletes at larger institutions, many D3 athletes arrive on campus curious and anxious to see what they will endure in their first season at the collegiate level. The same can be said for Roth, but the Cincinnati native found out quickly that more would be expected of her during her first season than what she had originally anticipated.

One day during a preseason practice, Cardinal Head Coach Connie Richardson handed the reigns to the 18-year old freshman and named her the starting point guard. An off-guard in high school, Roth had never assumed many duties at the point position, but was now needed due to personnel issues. The coaching staff and upperclassmen players began to help Roth read defenses, understand the leadership role of the lead guard spot, and explain various aspects of the college game.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming here to Otterbein,” said Roth. “But I was given an opportunity to play as a freshman, which I was very fortunate to have. I was able to gain a lot of experience and skills early on, especially from playing against the older girls. The teammates that I was able to play with throughout my years really got me to this point I’m at now.”

It wouldn’t take long for Roth to make an impact and earn the trust of her coaches and teammates. In her second career game, Roth led the Cardinals with a team-best 22 points in an overtime victory over host Washington & Jefferson in the championship game of the Holiday Inn Meadowlands Classic. In addition, she was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Now, nearly three and half years later, Roth has started 98 consecutive games and finds herself sitting as the Cardinals all-time leading scorer with 1,499 career points. However, the preseason All-American admitted that having scored more points than any other female to wear an Otterbein basketball jersey has not completely registered with her quite yet.

“I don’t really think it has hit me yet on how big of an accomplishment it really is,” she explained. “I’m definitely proud and it’s a huge honor, but I’m still more focused on the season right now.”

Roth, who also sits third in Otterbein history in assists (448) and currently ranks in the top 15 in the nation in both three-point percentage (.450) and free-throw percentage (.926), now takes on an even larger leadership role than the one thrown at her during her freshman campaign. After leading the conference in scoring, assists, and steals a year ago, the senior co-captain entered this season with even greater expectations from herself, her teammates and the Cardinal faithful to be the lead catalyst. One of her roles has been to nurture and guide some of the younger players who are experiencing what Roth was three years ago.

“She’s been a great role model on and off the court for our younger guards, including myself,” said junior co-captain and close friend Karli Volkmer. “It’s no secret that she’s an important player to our team and she makes us mold to who we are.”

One of those younger guards is freshman Kristi Kotterman, who is Roth’s backcourt mate in the starting lineup and is learning many of the same principles Roth did as a newcomer. It is now that Roth finds herself on the other side of the equation, lending a helping hand to a youngster that is a key piece to the puzzle this season.

“As a freshman, Kristi has really given us a lot on the court,” Roth said. “With me leaving, I want to see her become that next player to step up and take control because I think she can and she’s good enough, so I try to help her out as much as I can.”

Not only has Roth continued to take on additional leadership responsibility, but she has also improved on the defensive end of the floor. Already a proven scorer, Roth took some heat from the Cardinal coaching staff last season to improve her play on defense. Many great scorers at any level are accustomed to using defense as a time to rest, but the returning first-team All-OAC selection has shown this season she can be counted on at both ends of the floor.

“She’s always got a good feel for how things are going with our team,” said Cardinal Head Coach Connie Richardson. “She may not be the quickest player at either end of the floor, but she is so smart and her knowledge of the game has continued to grow. We have started to put her on some of the opposing team’s best players, and even though I don’t like to do that a lot because it takes her legs away from her, she works her tail off and has been ready for that challenge. At this point in the season, she’s going to do whatever she needs to do in order to win games.”

Admitting that she is highly competitive and genuinely hates to lose, it is no surprise that Roth carries the mindset of doing whatever it takes to win. However, she also understands that basketball is a team sport and that one player cannot single-handedly win games.

“I’ve known Laura for the last three years, and she is not a selfish player,” explained Volkmer. “She just does what she has to do to get the job done, whether that’s by scoring, passing, or playing defense.”

Even though Roth has managed to get the job done on multiple occasions, she will not deny the fact that a certain amount of pressure comes with the situation of being a highly regarded player.

“I do feel a lot of pressure at times to perform because I’m the leader and I feel like I can’t have bad games,” said Roth. “If we’re having a bad game as a team, I know people look right at me to step things up, and that’s a big responsibility. I just try to do the best I can.”

While Roth has turned in many impressive performances on the court, it may be her approach off the court that makes her such a special student-athlete. The many college students who struggle with time management could learn a thing or two by taking notes on how Roth handles her day-to-day activities. A nursing major, it is not uncommon for Roth to attend an eight-hour clinical observation during the day and then go straight to either practice or the team bus for a road game. She has also been forced to put her social life on hold over the course of many weekends while at Otterbein, just in order to stay caught up on her schoolwork. It is that approach that has led her to being named not only to the All-Conference team, but to the Academic All-OAC first team as well.

“She is a very driven individual," Richardson said. “Nursing in itself is a demanding major, so to be able to combine athletics with that is very challenging. A lot of kids in the nursing major have to make sacrifices, but I think it tells us a lot about who they are as people.”

Those important attributes as a person combine with her athletic ability to solidify her spot among the all-time bests that have played for the program. After Volkmer stated that Roth is the best player she’s ever played with, Richardson was also quick to offer praise.

“No question she is one of the top kids,” said the 18th year Head Coach. “There are some good players to go with her at the top, but as far as the combination of basketball and academics, she is definitely one of the better student-athletes to come through Otterbein. She’ll leave her mark and we won’t know exactly how much we’ll miss her until she’s not here next year.”

Despite the fact there are still nearly three weeks remaining in the regular season, Roth does know that this incredible ride will eventually come to an end at some point.

“It’s going to be hard moving on because I’ve had so much fun here,” she said. “I’ve met so many people and made so many new friends through basketball, and it will definitely be hard when it’s over.”

After graduation, Roth plans to move back to Cincinnati and become a registered nurse. If you ask those who surround her and know her best, nothing but promising and good times await her in the future.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (10-9, 6-6 OAC) hosts Ohio Northern (8-11, 6-6 OAC) Wednesday evening, 7:30 p.m., in the Rike Center as both teams look to pick up an Ohio Athletic Conference victory. The Cards and Polar Bears currently sit in a tie for sixth place with each other in the league.

Otterbein enters the game after falling 74-58 at Muskingum Saturday afternoon. Freshman guard Kristi Kotterman led the Cards with 14 points while senior guard Laura Roth scored 11 to move into first place on the Cardinal all-time scoring list. Her 1,499 career points currently ranks her 24^th all-time in the conference.

Roth (16.5 ppg) paces the Cardinals offensive attack and sits fifth in the OAC in scoring in addition to leading the league and ranking third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.926). She is second is the OAC in both three-point percentage (.450) and assists (5.1/game).

Junior guard Karli Volkmer is the team’s second leading scorer at 11.9 ppg and is shooting .449 from the field. She has made 12 of 29 three-point attempts this winter and knows the importance of this matchup.

“A few months ago we set a goal to finish top four in the conference and receive a home game in the OAC Tournament,” Volkmer said. “This game could give us some of the answers we need and give us a big lift going forward.”

The trio of senior Carla Lewis and juniors Katy Miller and Allison Huettel is combining to contribute 23.4 points and 17.6 rebounds per outing.

Ohio Northern enters the contest fresh off a 62-51 defeat at the hands of Baldwin-Wallace Saturday in Berea. Senior Alisha Rinehart dropped a game-high 24 points in the loss while Kara Dysert scored 11 and grabbed a game-best nine rebounds.

Rinehart leads the Polar Bears in scoring and ranks third in the OAC at 18.5 ppg. She sits right behind Roth in second place for free-throw percentage (.872) and leads her team with 42 assists this season.

Dysert (11.1 ppg) is second in scoring for ONU and her 7.6 rebounds per contest is good enough for fifth in the league. She is shooting .414 from the field and is second on the team in minutes played, averaging 28.7/game.

Earlier this season, Otterbein earned a 66-55 victory at Ohio Northern behind a game-high 17 points from Lewis. Kotterman and Miller each tallied a double-double while the Cardinals defense allowed just one Polar Bear (Dysert) to score in double-figures.

Roth Becomes All-Time Scoring Leader But Cards Fall to Muskies
Written January 31, 2009 by Adam Prescott

NEW CONCORD, OHIO – Senior guard Laura Roth becomes the Cardinals all-time leading scorer but Otterbein (10-9, 6-6 OAC) falls 74-58 to Muskingum (14-5, 9-3 OAC) Saturday afternoon at the Muskingum Recreation Center.

Muskingum took a 13-5 lead when Tiffany Youel connected on a pair of free-throws with 13:31 showing on the first half clock.

The Muskies then pushed their lead to 38-18 when Jessica Lenhart buried a jumper with 3:47 remaining before the break. Muskingum would eventually take a 43-26 advantage into intermission.

Otterbein battled back in the second half and closed the gap to 11, at 55-44, when freshman guard Kristi Kotterman sank a jumper off an assist from senior Jessica Tonges with 8:22 remaining.

However, the Muskies outscored the Cards 15-8 over the next five and a half minutes to extend their lead to 70-52 with just 2:56 left to play in the contest. Otterbein was unable to make a late push as Muskingum earned a 74-58 victory.

Senior guard Laura Roth totaled 11 points to become Otterbein’s all-time scoring leader with 1,499 career points, breaking Jenny Lambert’s previous record of 1,498. The Cincinnati native had just eight points with two minutes remaining, but made a layup after drawing a foul with 1:55 to play to tie the record. Her ensuing free-throw then put her atop the Cardinal scoring list.

“It’s a great accomplishment”, said Roth. “I’ve worked really hard over the past four years and it’s great to see it pay off.”

“I actually didn’t know how many points I needed,” she added. “I knew I needed less than 20, but I didn’t look at the website and didn’t let anybody tell me because I didn’t want it to get in my head. I didn’t think I was going to get (the record) today because I wasn’t really hitting any shots, but it’s exciting now that it’s happened.”

Kotterman paced the Otterbein attack with 14 points while juniors Karli Volkmer and Katy Miller contributed 11 points each.

Muskingum was led by a game-high 19 points and 16 rebounds from Jessica McKenzie.

The Cards, who are ranked seventh in the nation in three-point field goal percentage, made just 2 of 15 shots from behind the arc while Muskingum converted .375 (6 of 16) of their three-point attempts.

Otterbein next returns home to host Ohio Northern on Wednesday evening. Tip-off from the Rike Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Roth Drops 27 as Otterbein Cruises Past Marietta
Written January 29, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (10-8, 6-5 OAC) defeated Marietta (2-16, 0-11 OAC) by a score of 103-68 Thursday evening in the Rike Center.

Otterbein surged to an early 21-3 lead at the 16:11 mark behind the hot hand of senior guard Laura Roth, who connected on all four of her three-point attempts in the first four minutes if the game.

The Cardinals then extended their lead to 34-7 when Roth converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 11:09 remaining before the break.

The Cards shot .800 (8 of 10) from behind the arc in the first half in addition to shooting .588 (20 of 34) from the field.

Otterbein built their lead to as many as 41 points in the second half before earning a 103-68 victory.

Roth led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including 5-of-6 from three-point range. She now sits just 11 points shy of passing Jenny Lambert on the all-time scoring list. The Cincinnati native also tallied a game-best eight assists and three steals.

Junior guard Karli Volkmer added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting while freshman forward Katie Stallard scored a career-high 14 points.

Otterbein shot .537 from the field for the game compared to .339 for the Pioneers.

Already the nation’s seventh best three-point shooting team at .388 per game, the Cards buried 11-of-18 three pointers en route to posting a .611 shooting percentage for the contest. The Cards also made 20 of their 21 free throw attempts (.952).

The Cards next travel to play Muskingum this Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

Cards to Host Marietta, Searching for Fourth Win in Last Five Games
Written January 26, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (9-8, 5-5 OAC) will be looking for their fourth win in their last five games when they host Marietta (2-15, 0-10 OAC) Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., inside the Rike Center.

This past Saturday, the Cardinals earned a 79-72 victory over John Carroll in Westerville. Senior guard Laura Roth led the way for Otterbein with 19 points while senior forward Carla Lewis tallied a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Roth sits fifth in the Ohio Athletic Conference in scoring at 16.2 ppg in addition to ranking second in three-point field goal percentage (.448) and third in assists (4.9/game). She ranks 14th in the country in three-point field goal percentage and is currently the nation’s third-best free-throw shooter, making 93.6% of her attempts.

Juniors Karli Volkmer and Katy Miller are combining to contribute 21.3 ppg while Miller sits fourth in the OAC in rebounding (7.8/game) and seventh in blocked shots.

Lewis ranks eighth in the league in field-goal percentage (.491) while freshman guard Kristi Kotterman holds down the eighth spot in assists (2.65/game).

The Pioneers enter this contest after losing to Ohio Northern by a score of 72-63 on Saturday. Senior guard Nikki Driscoll, the team’s second leading scorer at 12.1 ppg, paced the club with 17 points and five assists in the contest.

Marietta is led in scoring by senior wing Amanda Carraher, who ranks eighth in the conference with 13.1 ppg. She also leads the team with 29 steals on the season.

Driscoll ranks third in the OAC in free-throw percentage (.848) and fourth in assists (4.2/game) while junior post Jamie Beckett sits fifth in rebounding (7.7 rpg).

Earlier this season, Otterbein picked up a 79-65 road victory over the Pioneers behind a game-high 28 points from Roth. The senior made 11-of-18 shots from the floor and also led all players with a game-best 10 assists. Volkmer added 22 points and six assists in the victory while Miller tallied ten points and six boards. Marietta was led by 19 points from Driscoll and a game-high ten rebounds from Carraher.

Otterbein Picks Up Key OAC Win With Victory Over John Carroll
Written January 24, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (9-8, 5-5 OAC) turned back John Carroll (9-8, 4-6 OAC) by a score of 79-72 Saturday afternoon inside the Rike Center.

John Carroll took an early 8-4 advantage when Lee Jennings sank a jumper just three minutes into the contest.

Otterbein battled back and eventually took what would end up being the largest lead of the first half when freshman guard Kristi Kotterman drilled a three-pointer from the corner to give the Cards a 20-15 lead with 9:57 showing on the first half clock.

Both teams played near even the remainder of the half as the Cards were never able to extend their lead to more than five points.

A layup from Jennings with one minute left in the opening frame allowed the Blue Streaks to take a slim 39-38 edge into the break.

With the game locked at 43-43 early in the second half, and three Cardinal starters taking a breather on the bench, the Otterbein second unit ignited a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 52-43 lead. Backups Allison Huettel, Katie Stallard, and Jessica Tonges scored consecutive baskets during the spurt with the last bucket belonging to senior forward Carla Lewis at the 13:32 mark.

A Jennings layup cut the deficit to 56-51 with 10:29 to play, but Otterbein responded by pushing their lead back to as many as 12 on two different occasions, the second coming with 5:32 left to play when Tonges banked in a three-pointer from the right wing to give her team a 70-58 lead.

John Carroll fought down the stretch but were unable to get within serious striking distance as the Cards earned a 79-72 victory.

Senior guard Laura Roth led Otterbein with 19 points and now stands 38 points shy of becoming Otterbein’s all-time leading scorer. Lewis tallied a double-double with 14 points and a game-best 12 rebounds while Kotterman contributed 13 points and tied for a game-best four assists.

Jennings led all scorers with 25 points (17 of which came in the second half) while Rachael Price scored 16 for the Streaks.

Otterbein shot .471 from the field compared to .405 for John Carroll. The Cards held a 50-34 edge on the glass but committed twice as many turnovers as John Carroll (24 to 12).

The Cards will next host Marietta on Wednesday in the Rike Center. Starting time is set for 7:30 p.m.

Cards to Host John Carroll as Second Half of OAC Play Begins
Written January 22, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (8-8, 4-5 OAC) is set to begin the second half of the season in conference play as they host John Carroll (9-7, 4-5 OAC) Saturday afternoon, 3 p.m., in the Rike Center.

The Cardinals and Blue Streaks currently sit in a tie with each other for seventh place in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC).

Otterbein enters the contest looking to get back on the winning track after suffering a 73-57 defeat to Capital last Saturday in Westerville. Junior forward Katy Miller and senior guard Laura Roth led the Cardinals with 14 points each in the game while Miller also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

Roth (16.0 ppg) ranks fifth in the conference in scoring and paces a Cardinal offense that averages 67.7 ppg. Last Saturday, the Cincinnati native passed Lori Povisil to move into second place on the program’s all-time scoring list. Her 1,442 career points currently has her sitting just 56 points shy of the Cardinals all-time leading scorer, Jenny Lambert (1,498 points). The preseason All-American leads the OAC in free-throw shooting (.951) as well as three-point field goal percentage (.456). In addition, her shooting percentage from behind the arc is good enough to rank her 14^th in the country. She also sits second in the league in assists (5.1/game).

Miller, the reigning OAC Player of the Week, ranks fourth in the league in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and is Otterbein’s third-leading scorer at 9.9 ppg. She sits seventh in the conference in blocked shots and has tallied five double-doubles so far this season.

As a team, Otterbein leads the conference and ranks seventh nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.388). They also sit atop the OAC and are ranked 25^th in the country in field-goal percentage (.442). The Cardinals are the third-best free-throw shooting team in the league, converting 71.5% of their attempts from the charity stripe.

John Carroll travels to Westerville looking to snap a three-game losing streak after falling 86-73 to Mount Union Wednesday evening in Alliance. Junior guard Whitney Hamilton led all scorers with 24 points while junior forward Caitlin Sureck recorded 16 points and eight rebounds.

The Blue Streaks boast one of the league’s top players in sophomore Lee Jennings. Jennings was fourth in the OAC in scoring at 17.2 ppg before suffering an injury that has caused her to miss the last five games. Her status for this contest is uncertain. She also averaged a conference-best seven assists per outing for the Blue Streaks, who are 2-3 without the 5’7” guard.

Hamilton ranks second on the team in scoring, contributing 12.1 points per contest. Senior guard Rachael Price and Sureck combine to contribute 20.6 ppg for the Streaks while Sureck is hauling in a team-best 6.9 rpg, a mark also good enough to rank her eighth in the league. In Jennings absence, Hamilton, Price, and Sureck have each added 13 points per game to a Blue Streak offense that is scoring a league-leading 73.6 ppg.

In addition to being the highest scoring team in the OAC, John Carroll sits atop the conference as a team in assists (16.7/game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.05). The team’s assist-to-turnover is also the ninth best in the nation. The Streaks rank second in the conference in blocked shots (5.3/game) as well as offensive rebounds (14.9/game).

John Carroll also ranks second in the OAC in turnover margin (+3.05) while Otterbein sits ninth (-3.50).

Earlier this season, Otterbein fell to the Blue Streaks in University Heights by a score of 102-75. Junior guard Karli Volkmer, who is the Cardinals second-leading scorer at 11.9 ppg, led the team with 18 points in the contest. Jennings led John Carroll by tallying a game-high 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting as well as a game-best five assists.

Miller Earns OAC Player of the Week Honors
Written January 19, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein junior forward Katy Miller (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Player of the Week in women’s basketball, the conference office announced Monday.

Last Wednesday, Miller posted a game-high 19 points and a team best nine rebounds in an 83-73 home victory over Wilmington.

Saturday, the Delaware native recorded her fifth double-double of the season as she tied for a team-high 14 points and grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds in a 73-57 loss at the hands of first-place Capital. She now has seven double-digit rebounding games this season.

On the week, Miller shot .609 (14-of-23) from the field in addition to grabbing 20 rebounds. She shot 2-of-4 from three-point range and made 3-of-5 foul shots, all of which came in the win against Wilmington.

With the selection, Otterbein becomes the first OAC school this season to have two different players earn consecutive basketball Player of the Week awards. Senior guard Laura Roth earned the honor last week.

Otterbein next plays host to John Carroll this Saturday in the Rike Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (8-8, 4-5 OAC) lost a 73-57 decision to Capital (10-3, 7-1 OAC) Saturday evening inside the Rike Center.

The Crusaders took an early 13-4 lead when Kristen Richardson made a layup at the 14:34 mark of the opening frame.

Capital then extended the lead to 13, at 35-22, when Richardson connected on a pair of free-throws with 3:34 remaining before the break.

Otterbein rode the hot hand of junior forward Katy Miller to stay within striking distance throughout the first half, but the visiting Crusaders eventually took a 41-27 lead into intermission.

Miller totaled eight points and four rebounds in the opening half of play while Capital's Heather McAplin, who only averages 6.6 ppg, tallied 11 first half points.

Otterbein senior guard Laura Roth scored the first six Otterbein points in the second stanza to keep the Cardinals close, but Capital surged to 51-33 advantage after McAplin converted an old fashioned three-point play with 13:11 showing on the game clock.

The Cards continued to battle down the stretch, but were never able to pull any closer than 11 points as as the visitors earned a 73-57 victory tpo remain atop the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) standings.

Miller totaled 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting in addition to a game-high 11 rebounds for Otterbein while Roth, who moved into second on the Otterbein women's all-time scoring list in the first half, also finished with 14 points.

Richardson led all scorers with 20 points in addition to tallying seven assists while McAplin recorded 18 points and five caroms.

The Cards next return to action when they host John Carroll next Saturday in the Rike Center. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

Cardinals Set to Host Capital in Cross Town Rivalry
Written January 15, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (8-7, 4-4 OAC) plays host to first-place Capital (9-3, 6-1 OAC) Saturday evening, 5:30, inside the Rike Center.

The Cardinals, who sit in a tie for seventh place with Wilmington in the Ohio Athletic Conference, will be looking to climb up the standings while the Crusaders will be playing to keep their spot on top of the league.

Otterbein enters the game fresh off an 83-73 victory over Wilmington Wednesday in Westerville. Junior forward Katy Miller paced the Cardinals attack with 19 points and nine rebounds in the contest as all five starters scored in double figures.

Senior guard Laura Roth leads the Otterbein offense by averaging 16.1 ppg, a mark good enough to rank her sixth in the conference. The Cincinnati native leads the league in free-throw shooting (94.6%) and three-pointers made (2.73/game) as well as ranking second in three-point percentage (.471), and third in assists (5.2/game).

Junior guard Karli Volkmer and Miller rank second and third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 ppg and 9.7 ppg, respectively. In addition, Miller is the fifth best rebounder in the league, hauling in 7.8 boards per outing.

Capital is coming off a 76-63 win over Heidelberg on Wednesday in Tiffin. Senior forward Daniel Sanna and junior guard Kristen Richardson led the team with 18 points each.

The Crusaders are paced by Richardson and senior forward Caitlin Elsass, who average 12.2 ppg and 11.8 ppg, respectively. Elsass is the team’s leading rebounder at 6.1 rpg while Richardson leads the Crusaders with 28 steals on the season.

Sanna is contributing 11.0 ppg and holds the OAC’s third best field-goal percentage (.557). She is the only Crusader who has started all 12 games this season.

As a team, Capital leads the conference in both scoring defense (53.1 ppg) and scoring margin (+13.9) as well as ranking second in field-goal percentage (.432). Otterbein ranks fifth in scoring offense (68.4 ppg) and leads the league in both field-goal percentage (.444) and three-point percentage (.404).

Last season, the Cards swept the regular season series with Capital before falling victim to the Crusaders by a score of 72-66 in the opening round of the OAC Tournament. Roth averaged 17.6 ppg against Capital last year while Richardson poured in 19.2 ppg for the Purple and White in the season series.

Starters Combine for 72 Points as Otterbein Defeats Wilmington
Written January 14, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (8-7, 4-4 OAC) defeated Wilmington (10-4, 4-4 OAC) by a score of 83-73 Wednesday evening in the Rike Center.

Otterbein took an early 10-4 lead at the 16:17 mark when junior forward Katy Miller buried two three-pointers in as many possessions.

The Cards then took their first double-digit lead, at 22-12, when senior forward Carla Lewis converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 13:04 left in the opening frame.

Otterbein would eventually settle for a 45-39 halftime lead after Wilmington's Claire Brown sank a shot from behind the arc in the closing seconds of the half.

Miller and senior guard Laura Roth combined for 25 of Otterbein's 45 first half points as the Cards shot .450 from the floor as a team.

Otterbein pushed their lead to 11 when senior guard Jessica Tonges hit a baseline jumper, making the score 61-50 with 11:50 remaining in the game.

However, the Quakers responded with a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to 64-60 when Olivia Waters made a layup with 7:15 showing on the game clock.

Both teams played even down the stretch until Miller converted two layups on consecutive possessions to give the Cards a 74-67 advantage with 1:47 left to play.

Strong defense and solid free-throw shooting down the stretch allowed Otterbein to preserve an 83-73 victory and improve to 4-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

The Cardinal starting five combined for 72 of the team's 83 points, with Miller's 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting leading all scorers. In addition, the Delaware native grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.

Other starters scoring in double figures were Roth (15), junior guard Karli Volkmer (14), Lewis (12), and freshman guard Kristi Kotterman (12). Roth also recorded a team-high six assists and three steals.

Wilmington was led by 17 points and seven assists from Marianne McGoron. Junior forward Kortney Kin, the OAC's leading scorer at 22.8 ppg, finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 4-of-19 from the field.

Otterbein shot .450 from the floor compared to .441 for the visiting Quakers. The Cards held a 48-38 edge on the glass.

Otterbein will next host Capital in the first game of a men's/women's double-header here in Westerville this Saturday. Tip-off from the Rike Center is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with the men's game slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Cards Prepare to Host Wilmington, Look For Two Straight OAC Wins
Written January 13, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (7-7, 3-4 OAC) will look for their second straight conference victory as they play host to Wilmington (10-3, 4-3 OAC) tomorrow night, 7:30 p.m., in the Rike Center.

Otterbein, who holds the eighth spot in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), and Wilmington, who currently sits in a tie for fifth, will both be looking to move up in the standings.

The Cardinals are entering the game fresh off a 72-66 victory over Heidelberg this past Saturday in Westerville. Senior guard Laura Roth, the reigning OAC Player of the Week, paced the Cards with 22 points and ten rebounds in the victory. Junior forward Katy Miller also tallied a double-double by dropping 14 points and grabbing 11 boards.

Roth, 16.2 ppg, currently ranks sixth in the conference in scoring as well as third in assists (5.1 apg). In addition, she is the conference’s top free-throw shooter, converting 94.3% of her attempts from the line. Miller’s 7.7 rebounds per outing places her in a tie for fifth in the OAC while junior forward Carla Lewis and freshman guard Kristi Kotterman rank among the top ten in the league in field-goal percentage.

Wilmington enters the contest after falling to Mount Union by a score of 88-74 this past Saturday in Alliance. The loss dropped the Quakers to 4-3 in league play and into a tie with Ohio Northern and Baldwin-Wallace for fifth place.

The Quakers boast the OAC’s leading scorer in junior Kortney Kin. The 6’1” forward is averaging 22.8 ppg this season and has led the team in scoring in 11 of their last 12 contests. Kin, who scored 45 points earlier this season in a victory over Wittenberg, posted a game-high 34 points in the loss to Mount Union on Saturday. She also ranks third in the league in rebounding, hauling in 8.2 boards per contest.

Juniors Claire Brown and Marianne McGoron rank second and third on the team in scoring by averaging 9.6 ppg and 9.5 ppg, respectively. McGoron’s 4.9 assists per outing is good enough to rank her fourth in the conference while sophomore Olivia Waters is the second leading rebounder in the OAC, grabbing 8.5 caroms per game.

Last season, the two teams split the season series with each as both teams won on their home floor. The Quakers earned a 73-62 victory in the first meeting behind 21 points from McGoron, while Otterbein used 29 points from Roth to secure a 93-87 decision at the end of the season.

Roth Named Conference Player of the Week
Written January 12, 2009 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Senior guard Laura Roth (Cincinnati/Mother of Mercy) has been selected as the Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Week in women’s basketball, announced the conference office Monday.

This past Wednesday, Roth scored 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting to lead all scorers in a loss at Baldwin-Wallace.

Saturday, the senior recorded a double-double with 22 points and ten assists to help guide Otterbein past Heidelberg, 72-66.

Roth shot 58.6% (17-of-29) from the field on the week including 66.7% (8 of 12) from three-point range. Already the league’s top free-throw shooter, she also connected on all nine of her attempts from the charity stripe to boost her percentage to 94.3%.

Otterbein next takes on Wilmington this Wednesday in the Rike Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Cards Defeat Heidelberg to Even Record at 7-7
Written January 10, 2009 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein used a 9-2 run and then held off a late charge to turn back visiting Heidelberg, 72-66, Saturday afternoon in the Rike Center.

With the win, Otterbein evened its overall record at 7-7 and improved to 3-4 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. Heidelberg, 4-10 overall, dropped to 1-6 in the OAC.

The Cardinals scored the game’s first five points and boosted its lead to 11, up 26-15 with 9:13 to play in the first half. Heidelberg, however, closed out the half with a 6-0 run to make it a one-point game, trailing the Cardinals, 40-39, at the break.

Midway through the second period, Otterbein, leading by five, mounted a 9-2 run and held it biggest lead of the game, 68-56, with 4:48 to play in the game. The Berg countered with a 10-0 run to pull within two, 68-66, with 59 seconds remaining.

Otterbein junior center Allison Huettel scored on a layup and junior forward Katy Miller hit a pair of free throws to hold off Heidelberg’s comeback attempt.

Otterbein senior guard Laura Roth and Miller each tallied a double-double in the win. Roth scored 22 and handed out 10 assists. The senior hit 7 of 11 from the field, including 4 of 5 three-pointers, and all four of her free-throw attempts. Miller collected 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Karli Volkmer scored 11 points along with seven rebounds.

Heidelberg senior guard Brittany Skolnicki led all scorers with 28 points. She also came away with 11 rebounds.

Otterbein had a good day shooting, making 27 of 52 shots from the field for 51.9 percent. The Cardinals made 14 of 20 from the free-throw line. Heidelberg, shooting just 18.9 percent in the second half, finished the game making 20 of 73 field-goal attempts for 27.4 percent. The Berg hit 20 of 26 from the free-throw line. Otterbein held a 44-41 edge in rebounding, but turned the ball over 23 times with 18 of those coming in the second period.

The Cardinals remain at home, taking on Wilmington, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday in the Rike Center. Heidelberg is scheduled to host Capital this Wednesday.

Cards to Host Heidelberg in Key OAC Matchup
Written January 8, 2009 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein hosts the Student Princes of Heidelberg College, 3 p.m., Saturday in a key Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) matchup.

Both teams come into the game seeking a move up in the conference standings. The Cardinals, 6-7 overall, sit eighth in the OAC at 2-4 while Heidelberg, 4-9 overall, holds down the ninth spot at 1-5.

Otterbein, under 18th-year head coach Connie Richardson, dropped an 80-55 decision at Baldwin-Wallace Wednesday in Berea. The Yellow Jackets hit a three to open the game and never trailed.

Otterbein senior guard Laura Roth led all scorers with a season-high 29 points, just one point off her career high. Roth made 10 of 18 from the field, including 4 of 7 three-pointers, and all five of her free-throw attempts. Junior forward Katy Miller, the only other Cardinal in double digits, scored 11 points.

The Cardinals shot just 33.9 percent from the field, making 19 of 56 attempts, but made 6 of 11 three-point attempts for 54.5 percent, and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line.

Heidelberg, under first-year head coach Marcie Alberts, comes into the game off an 82-68 loss to John Carroll at home Wednesday in Tiffin. The Berg opened the second half with an 11-1 run, trying to erase a 16-point halftime deficit, but the Blue Streaks responded with an 11-2 run to take control of the game.

Senior guard Brittany Skolnicki, coming off the bench, scored 17 to lead Heidelberg. Sophomore forward Jenny Miller, one of four Heidelberg players scoring in double digits, added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Entering the game, Roth sits sixth in the OAC for scoring, averaging 15.8 points an outing. She also leads the conference with a 93.5 free-throw percentage (29 of 31); and ranks second in three-pointers made (2.6/game), fourth in assists (4.8/game), and fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage (44.7).

Other players ranked in the OAC include junior forward Katy Miller, sixth in rebounding (7.5/game) and third in blocked shots (1.2/game); junior guard Karli Volkmer, eighth in scoring (12.4/game); senior forward Carla Lewis, seventh in field-goal percentage (50.6); and freshman guard Kristi Kotterman, seventh in field-goal percentage (50.6).

Heidelberg won both meetings with Otterbein last season. Heidelberg’s Skolnicki led all players with 21 points in a 58-43 win in Tiffin while Otterbein’s Roth tallied a career-high 30 points in an 83-74 loss at home.

Both teams continue OAC play Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., at home with Otterbein hosting Wilmington and Heidelberg taking on league-leader Capital.

Roth Scores 29 in Loss at B-W
Written January 7, 2009 by Ed Syguda

BEREA, OHIO—Baldwin-Wallace hit a three to open the game and never trailed on its way to an 80-55 win over visiting Otterbein Wednesday in Ursprung Gymnasium.

The Cardinals, 6-7 overall, dropped to 2-4 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. B-W, 8-5 overall, improved to 3-3 in league play.

Leading, 7-6, four minutes into the game, the Yellow Jackets mounted an 11-1 run to boost their lead to 12, 18-6, with 13:26 left in the first period. B-W led 41-27 at the half and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second period.

Senior guard Jessica Butzer, one of five B-W players scoring in double figures, tallied 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting to lead the Yellow Jackets.

The Cardinals shot just 33.9 percent from the field, making 19 of 56 attempts, but made 6 of 11 three-point attempts for 54.5 percent. Otterbein made 11 of 13 free-throw attempts.

B-W finished the game shooting 51.5 percent, making 34 of 66 from the field, including 10 of 21 three-point attempts. The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded Otterbein, 47-25.

Otterbein returns home Saturday, taking on Heidelberg. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Lewis Leads Way as Otterbein Defeats Ohio Northern
Written January 3, 2009 by Adam Prescott

ADA, OHIO – Four players scored in double figures as Otterbein (6-6, 2-3 OAC) defeated Ohio Northern (5-7, 3-2 OAC) by a score of 66-55 Saturday afternoon in a return to conference action.

The Polar Bears grabbed an early 9-4 lead when Tricia Fuller made a jumper at the 14:54 mark of the opening frame.

Otterbein then responded with a 21-4 run to take a 25-13 advantage with just five minutes remaining before the half. The run was capped by two free throws from junior forward Carla Lewis.

A three-pointer from junior guard Karli Volkmer pushed the Cardinal lead to 37-18 with just over one minute showing on the first half clock, but an Ohio Northern score in the final minute of the half brought the score to 37-20 at the break.

Otterbein extended the lead to 21, at 49-28, when freshman guard Kristi Kotterman made a jumper off an assist from Katie Stallard with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

Two Volkmer free-throws then gave the team the largest lead of the game (63-35) at the 7:25 mark.

The Polar Bears were able to cut into the deficit and bring the gap to 18 with just over three minutes remaining when Brittany Schroeder nailed a pair of free-throws.

However, it proved to be too little too late as Otterbein withstood the Ohio Northern rally down the stretch and earned a 66-55 victory.

Lewis led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Kotterman scored ten points and grabbed a career-high ten rebounds while junior forward Katy Miller (ten points, 11 rebounds) also notched a double-double.

Volkmer marked the fourth Cardinal to score in double digits as she also contributed ten points.

Otterbein shot .417 from the field compared to .259 for ONU. The Cards also held a 46-34 edge on the glass.

The team next returns to action when they travel to play Baldwin-Wallace this Wednesday. Tip-off from Berea is set for 7:30 p.m.

Otterbein Falls to Wisconsin Eau Claire in Ballenger Championship
Written December 28, 2008 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO--Wisconsin-Eau Claire, ranked #6 in the nation by D3Hoops.com, opened the game on a 9-2 run capped by a jumper from Heidi Arciszewski a little over two minutes in.

Otterbein then cut the lead to four, at 21-17, when freshman guard Kristi Kotterman buried a three-pointer from the left wing with 11 minutes remaining in the opening frame.

However, the Blugolds extended their lead, this time to 28-17, when Ashley Anderson converted an old-fashioned three-point play with just under nine minutes showing on the clock.

Otterbein continued to battle and trimmed the deficit to 36-29 on a free-throw from junior forward Allison Huettel with 36 seconds remaining before the break.

A score by Eau Claire in the final seconds gave the visitors a 38-29 lead into intermission.

Otterbein shot .364 (8 of 22) in the first half compared to .469 (15 of 32) for the Bluegolds. Both teams had five turnovers while Eau Claire held an 18-10 advantage in points in the paint.

The Blugolds pushed their lead back to double-digits, at 41-29, when Hannah Mesick finished a three-point play with a free throw on the team's first possession of the second half.

After seeing Eau Claire push the lead to 50-33, Otterbein battled back and found themselves with possession of the ball and down nine points with just over ten minutes left to play. Unfortunately, a turnover by the Cards and a pair of free throws by Heather Witt on the Blugolds next ensuing possession allowed them to regain a double-digit lead at 58-47.

A layup from junior forward Katy Miller brought Otterbein back to within eight, at 61-53, but Witt connected on a trifecta during the very next possession to put her team back up by 11 with six minutes remaining in the contest.

The Tan and Cardinal fought down the stretch to close the deficit, but were unable to draw any closer as Eau Claire earned a hard fought 74-60 victory.

Huettel led the Cards with 16 points and eight rebounds while senior guard Laura Roth added 15 points and seven assists. Miller contributed 12 points and five caroms while Kotterman, who scored a game-best 17 in the opening round game, was held to just seven points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Roth and Miller were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Eau Claire was paced in the contest by 15 points and ten rebounds from Arciszewski while Mesick scored 11. Witt and Anderson each scored ten points as well.

Witt and Arciszewski were selected to the All-Tournament Team with Arciszewski earning Most Valuable Player honors.

Otterbein shot .380 from the field compared to .466 for the Blugolds. In addition to holding a 43-27 edge on the glass, Eau Claire shot .857 from the free-throw line while the Cards converted just .708 of their attempts from the charity stripe.

The Cards next return to action on Saturday when they travel to Ada to battle Ohio Northern. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

Kotterman Helps Cardinals Cruise to Victory Over Anderson (IN)
Written December 27, 2008 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (5-5) defeated Anderson (IL) (5-5) by a score of 80-59 to earn a victory in the opening round of the Smokey Ballenger Tournament, being played this weekend in the Rike Center.

Anderson took an early 18-15 lead when Tiffany Bowsher nailed a three-pointer at the 11:15 mark.

The Cards then went on a 21-3 run over the next ten minutes to take a 39-21 advantage with just over one minute remaining in the opening stanza. The run was capped by a layup from freshman guard Kristi Kotterman while seven different Otterbein players scored during the span.

The Cardinals would allow one score in the final minute and take a 39-23 edge into the locker room.

Otterbein extended the lead to 51-25 on a layup from junior forward Katy Miller with 16:48 showing on the second half clock.

The Ravens would attempt to fight their way back into the game and eventually cut the Cardinal lead to 18, at 67-49, when Kayla Martin converted a layup with just over seven minutes left to play.

However, Otterbein pushed the lead back to as many as 25 before earning an 80-59 victory.

Kotterman paced the Cardinals by tallying a game-high 17 points in addition to six assists and five rebounds. Junior guard Karli Volkmer contributed 15 points and eight boards while Miller added 13 points and eight caroms.

The Cards shot a blistering .569 from the floor while the Ravens shot .354. Otterbein held a 40-34 edge on the glass and recorded 24 assists on 33 made field goals.

With the win, Otterbein advances to tomorrow’s championship contest against Wisconsin Eau Claire, who defeated Case Western Reserve by a score of 82-40 in the second game of the afternoon.

Otterbein Loses Close Contest With Mount Union
Written December 20, 2008 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (4-5, 1-3 OAC) fell to Mount Union (6-2, 3-1 OAC) by a score of 60-55 on Saturday afternoon in the Rike Center.

Otterbein took an early 10-4 lead after junior forward Carla Lewis sank a jumper at the 15:49 mark.

Mount Union responded and eventually took a 17-15 lead with 9:51 remaining in the half on a three-pointer from Tessa Pohovey. Raider guard Kori Wiedt then hit a jumper with three seconds left in the opening stanza to tie the game at 29-29 heading into the break. The half featured three lead changes and four ties while Otterbein held the largest lead at six points (10-4).

The Cards opened the half on a quick 8-0 run, to take a 38-29 lead after junior forward Katy Miller nailed a jumper from the corner with 16:01 showing on the second half clock.

The Raiders battled back and tied the game at 42-42 when Wiedt sank two free-throws with just over ten minutes left in the contest.

Both teams played nearly even down the stretch until a three-pointer from Mount Union’s Katie Crider gave the Purple and White a 56-50 advantage with 1:38 remaining.

However, a layup from senior guard Laura Roth and three free-throws from freshman guard Kristi Kotterman in the next minute cut the Raider lead to 56-55 with 29 seconds remaining. After two Mount free-throws, Kotterman was unable to connect on a deep game-tying attempt and Mount earned a 60-55 victory.

Miller led Otterbein with 17 points while Roth added 14 points and six assists. Crider and Amanda Rose each scored ten points for Mount Union.

The Cards shot .423 from the field compared to .350 for the Raiders. Both teams grabbed 37 rebounds in the contest.

Otterbein will have a week off before competing in the Smoky Ballenger Tournament held at Otterbein College. They will play Anderson (IN) next Saturday in the first day of action with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m.

Otterbein (4-4, 1-2 OAC), playing on just one day of rest, takes on Mount Union (5-2, 2-1 OAC) tomorrow at the Rike Center. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

The Cardinals are paced by senior guard Laura Roth (16.3 ppg), and junior guard Karli Volkmer (16.6 ppg). Both guards boast scoring averages that rank them in the top ten in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). In addition, Roth leads the team and ranks in the top five in the conference in assists, dishing out five per contest. Volkmer is shooting .524 (44 of 84) from the field and leads the team in minutes played per game (31.2). Freshman guard Kristi Kotterman has totaled 34 points combined in her last two games and is second on the team in both assists (2.9 apg), and steals (11).

The Cards enter the contest coming off a 95-86 loss at Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday. Roth led the Cards with 26 points and 11 assists in the game while Volkmer scored 24.

As a team, Otterbein leads the OAC in three-point field-goal percentage (.392), and also ranks third in both blocks (3.1/game) and assists (16.2/game).

Mount Union is paced by a pair of freshman in forward Amanda Rose and guard Kori Wiedt. Rose is averaging a team-high 11.6 ppg and ranks in the top ten in the OAC by grabbing 7.1 rebounds per outing. She also leads the club in steals with 11 steals on the season. Wiedt contributes 11.0 ppg and leads the team in assists (3.0/game). Senior forward Stephanie Schwartz ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.7 ppg to go along with her 5.7 rebounds per game. Schwartz leads the conference in field-goal percentage, as she has converted 26-of-38 (.684) shots from the floor this season.

As a team, the Raiders stand third in the OAC in scoring offense (72.1 ppg) and fourth in field-goal percentage defense (.374). The Purple and White lead the league in rebounding margin, grabbing 13 more rebounds per outing than their opponents.

Mount Union comes to Westerville looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a 67-54 decision at Baldwin-Wallace on Wednesday. Sophomore center Lauren Forquer led Mount with 15 points in that contest while Rose chipped in 12 points and six boards.

Last season, Otterbein won both games against Mount Union, winning 65-47 in Alliance and 85-79 in Westerville. Volkmer averaged 16.5 ppg in the season series, including a 23 point effort on 10-of-12 shooting in the first meeting.

DELAWARE, OHIO - Otterbein (4-4) fell to Ohio Wesleyan (5-3) by a score of 95-86 on Thursday evening in non-conference action.

The Cardinals were paced by senior guard Laura Roth, who tallied 26 points and 11 assists. Junior guard Karli Volkmer dropped 24 points while freshman guard Kristi Kotterman had 14.

Otterbein shot .550 from the field compared to .490 for the Battling Bishops. However, Ohio Wesleyan out-rebounded the Cards 39-27, including 17 offensive caroms.

The Cardinals held a seven point lead in the second half but the Bishops went on a 12-0 run that allowed them to take control and earn the victory.

Otterbein next returns home to host Mount Union on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

Cards Fall to Muskingum Despite Second Half Rally
Written December 13, 2008 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OH – Otterbein (4-3, 1-2 OAC) suffered a 75-60 defeat at the hands of Muskingum (6-1, 2-1 OAC) on Saturday afternoon at the Rike Center.

The Muskies opened the game with a quick 10-2 run capped by a layup from forward Jessica McKenzie at the 15:49 mark.

Otterbein battled back to within four, at 21-17, when junior guard Karli Volkmer hit a layup with 9:25 showing on the first half clock.

However, Muskingum would respond by outscoring the Cards 20-9 the rest of the half, including a 13-2 run that spanned five minutes. The spurt by the visitors allowed them to take a 41-26 lead into the half.

The Cardinals then opened the second half by going on a 16-2 run to cut the deficit to one, at 43-42, when Volkmer nailed a jumper with 13 minutes remaining.

Otterbein then took their first lead of the contest when freshman point guard Kristi Kotterman stripped McKenzie and found freshman forward Katie Stallard, who made a layup after being fouled form behind. Stallard converted the old fashioned three-point play by hitting a free throw, thus giving her team a 49-46 edge at the 10:28 mark.

Both teams battled down the stretch as neither side was able to take more than a five point lead. However, the Muskies were finally able to spread the gap to eight when a Suzanne Nichols shot from behind the arc gave her team a 64-56 advantage with 1:53 left to play.

The Cards were unable to counter in the final minutes as Muskingum preserved a 75-60 victory.

Kotterman, who had taken over for senior guard Laura Roth in the second half, led the Cards by scoring a game-high 20 points (14 of which came after halftime) in addition to a team-high four assists and three steals. Roth left the game in the first half with an ankle sprain after scoring five points in just nine minutes.

Volkmer contributed ten points and four rebounds while junior forward Katy Milled grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Nichols paced Muskingum with 18 points while McKenzie totaled 17 points and seven caroms. Point guard Tiffany Youel, the OAC’s leading scorer, totaled 14 points but shot just 3-of-18 from the field.

Otterbein shot .431 from the floor compared to .407 for the Muskies. Otterbein held a 43-31 rebounding edge but allowed the Muskies to score 22 points off their 29 turnovers, 12 of which came in the final ten minutes.

The Cards next travel to play Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Cards Face Fighting Muskies in Home Opener
Written December 11, 2008 by Adam Prescott

Otterbein (4-2, 1-1 OAC) takes on Muskingum (5-1, 1-1 OAC) in its season home opener Saturday in the Rike Center. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

The Cards picked up their first conference victory of the year on Wednesday as they won at Marietta, 79-65. Senior preseason All-America Laura Roth led the way in that contest by scoring 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go along with ten assists. Junior guard Karli Volkmer tallied 22 points and ten assists in the winning effort.

Roth and Volkmer lead the Cardinals with identical scoring averages of 16.5 points per game. Volkmer ranks in the top ten in the conference in field-goal percentage (.519) and leads the team in minutes played per game with 30.8. Roth ranks in the top ten in the conference in assists (4.66 apg) and three-point field-goal percentage (.472). In addition, she leads the OAC in free-throw shooting, having made all 18 of her attempts so far this season. Junior forwards Katy Miller and Carla Lewis combine to contribute 14.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per contest for the Cards.

Otterbein opened OAC play last Saturday at John Carroll, losing 102-75.

The Muskies also earned their first conference win of the season by defeating John Carroll, 87-62,Wednesday in New Concord.

Muskingum also boasts a preseason All-America in senior forward Jessica McKenzie. During the win over Carroll on Wednesday, the 6-foot McKenzie tallied 25 points, 19 rebounds, and five assists. She is averaging 19 ppg this season and is the OAC’s leading rebounder, hauling in 11.8 per game. In addition to McKenzie, Muskingum also has the conference’s leading scorer in senior guard Tiffany Youel (23.2 ppg). In addition, Youel leads the OAC in assists (7.33 apg), minutes played (36/game), and steals (17). Against John Carroll, she totaled 20 points, 12 assists, and five caroms.

The two teams split their matchups together last season with each school winning on their home court. Muskingum earned an 87-81 victory behind 24 points from Youel while Otterbein won a 90-79 decision in Westerville. Roth led the way in the Cardinals victory with 24 points.

Otterbein Grabs First Conference Win With Victory Over Marietta
Written December 10, 2008 by Adam Prescott

MARIETTA, OH - Otterbein (4-2, 1-1 OAC) defeated Marietta (2-6, 0-2 OAC) by a score of 79-65 on Wednesday evening at the Ban Johnson Arena.

The Pioneers took an early 14-10 lead when Brooke Baker nailed a three-pointer with 14:09 showing on the first half clock.

Otterbein would then take their first lead of the game, at 22-21, when junior forward Carla Lewis made a layup with seven minutes remaining before the break. The Cardinals pushed then outscored Marietta 19-7 the remainder of the half and took a 41-28 lead into halftime.

The Cards shot .545 from the field in the opening stanza compared to just .344 for the host Pioneers.

Otterbein began the second half where they left off before intermission, as they came out of the locker room and pushed the lead to 54-32 when junior guard Karli Volkmer converted a fast break layup at the 15:18 mark.

Marietta cut the deficit to 14, at 60-46, when Chelsea Drake sank a free throw at the 7:19 mark, but were unable to make any serious push down the stretch as the Cardinals earned a 79-65 victory.

Senior guard Laura Roth led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go along with ten assists while Volkmer chipped in 22 points and six assists.

Nikki Driscoll led Marietta with 19 points while Amanda Carraher recorded 11 points and grabbed ten boards

Otterbein shot .466 from the field while the Pioneers shot just .385. The Cards also held a 44-36 edge on the glass.

The Cardinals next return home to host Muskingum on Saturday. Tip-off from the Rike Center is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Cards Drop Conference Opener to Blue Streaks
Written December 6, 2008 by Adam Prescott

Otterbein took an early 11-9 lead when senior guard Laura Roth nailed a shot at the 15:53 mark of the opening half.

However, the Blue Streaks responded by going on a 26-6 run over the next eight minutes to take a 35-17 lead. Sophomore Lee Jennings, who had ten points doing the spurt, scored the last bucket of the run with 7:22 showing on the first half clock.

The Cards began to chip away at the deficit and cut the John Carroll lead to 18, at 63-45, when junior forward Allison Huettel made a layup with 15:33 remaining in the game.

Unfortunately, Otterbein was unable to get any closer the rest of the way as the Blue Streaks went on to win 102-75.

Junior guard Karli Volkmer led the Cardinals with 18 points and five rebounds while Huettel finished with 11 points.

Otterbein shot .433 from the field compared to .589 for John Carroll. The Streaks also held a 44-31 rebounding edge.

The Cards next travel to play Marietta on Wednesday. Tip-off from the Ban Johnson Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.

Roth's Last Second Shot Lifts Otterbein Past Manchester
Written November 30, 2008 by Adam Prescott

SOUTH BEND, IN – Otterbein (3-1) used a last second layup from senior guard Laura Roth to knock off Manchester (IN) (3-2) by a score of 61-59 on the second day of the St. Mary’s Invitational.

The Cardinals opened the game on a 16-6 run, capped by a three-pointer from senior guard Jessica Tonges at the 14:04 mark of the opening half.

The Spartans then closed the gap to 20-17 by going on an 11-4 run of their own that was finished off by a Becky Lowden layup with 8:11 showing on the first half clock.

A three-pointer from Kelley Meiklejohn gave Manchester their first lead at 33-32 with a little over a minute remaining in the half, but a layup from Otterbein’s Allison Huettel in the final minute gave the Cards a slim 34-33 edge heading into the locker room for halftime.

Both teams traded buckets in the second half, with neither team being able to grab a lead larger than four points.

With one minute remaining in the game, Manchester’s Sarah Bose drilled a three-pointer that gave her team a 59-56 lead.

However, Roth buried a triple of her own just six seconds later on Otterbein’s ensuing possession that evened the game at 59-59.

After Roth blocked a Spartan three-point attempt, the Cards took back possession of the ball with 25 seconds remaining and a chance to take the lead.

After a Cardinal timeout, Roth made a layup with two seconds remaining that gave Otterbein the victory.

The senior Preseason All-American paced the Cardinals with 15 points and a game-high seven assists while junior guard Karli Volkmer, who was named to the All-Tournament team, added 14.

Otterbein shot .423 from the field compared to just .315 for the Spartans. Manchester held a 39-33 edge on the glass.

The Cards next travel to play John Carroll on Saturday, December 6. Tip-off from University Heights is set for 3 p.m.

Cardinals Victorious Over Saint Mary's
Written November 29, 2008 by Adam Prescott

SOUTH BEND, IN – Otterbein (2-1) defeated St. Mary’s (IN) (2-2) by a score of 66-63 on Saturday evening in the opening game of the St. Mary’s Invitational.

The Belles held an early 12-10 lead after Patsy Mahoney converted an old fashioned three point play at the 13:07 mark of the opening half.

The Cardinals then proceeded to go on a 26-12 run to take a 36-24 lead with a little over four minutes remaining before the break. The run lasted a shade under nine minutes and was capped by a jumper from freshman forward Natalie Conkle.

St. Mary’s battled back in the remaining minutes of the half as Otterbein would settle for a 38-34 lead at intermission.

The Belles opened the second half on a quick 8-2 run finished by an Anna Kamrath jumper, giving the hosts a 42-40 edge with 15:19 remaining.

Otterbein then responded with a 13-5 run over the next five minutes that was ended with another score from Conkle, giving the team a 53-48 lead.

Two free throws by Liz Wade drew the Belles within one at 53-52 with 9:44 remaining, but St. Mary’s was unable to take the lead as Otterbein extended the lead back up to as many as eight points before preserving a 66-63 victory.

Junior forwards Katy Miller and Carla Lewis paced Otterbein with 16 points a piece, with Miller also hauling in 12 rebounds. Junior guard Karli Volkmer contributed 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

The Belles were led by Nicole Beier, who totaled 12 points on a 5-of-7 effort from the floor.

The Cards shot .475 from the field compared to just .333 for St. Mary’s, and also held a 42-39 edge in rebounding.

Roth, Miller & Volkmer Lead Cards into New Season
Written November 20, 2008 by Adam Prescott

Otterbein is looking to build off of back-to-back 14-12 seasons from the past two years and look to contend for its first Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship in 2008-09.

The Cardinals finished second in the OAC in scoring last season at 73.0 points per game, as well as second in three-point field goal percentage (.356) and three-pointers made per game (6.08). In addition, the offensive attack led the conference in field-goal percentage (.443) and assists (16.27/game).

With three starters and nine total letterwinners returning, the Cardinals have high hopes of advancing far into the conference tournament, a place where they have been bounced in the first round each of the last two seasons.

Headlining those returnees is three-time All OAC selection Laura Roth. The senior led the conference in scoring (17.3 ppg), assists (4.7 apg), and steals (2.19 per/game) last season. Having not missed a game in three years, Roth has recorded 1,186 career points and currently sits eighth on the Otterbein All-Time scoring list. In addition, she is fourth in career assists (351) and ninth in steals (200) in the Otterbein record books. She enters the season having been named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Fourth Team.

“Laura is our stability,” said Head Coach Connie Richardson. "We know what we’re going to get out of her offensively and defensively, and I’ve put the leadership on her shoulders. As a senior I think that is an expectation from herself as well. She’s a competitor and has worked harder in this offseason than what she has in the past, and I think that’ll be a huge benefit to her and the team.”

The club will also feature returning starters Katy Miller and Karli Volkmer. Miller, who finished second in the OAC in rebounding last season, and Volkmer, who finished sixth in the league in field-goal percentage, will team with Roth to provide strong leadership and a vocal presence for the team’s underclassmen.

“The returning experience is crucial,” Richardson said. “Katy and Karli combine with Laura to make everyone around them better, and the team really responds to those three."

Not only does the team have three returning veteran starters, but also a core of upperclassmen contributors from last season that will look to lead by example and provide the team with valuable depth.

Other returning letterwinners include: seniors Carla Lewis, Lauren Semon and Jessica Tonges, junior Allison Huettel, and sophomores Lindsey Dauner and Alyson Sheppard.

While the returning players will play a key role in the team’s success, a few fresh faces will be counted upon to play significant roles in a winning formula.

“I’ve thrown the freshman to the wolves early so they were able to gain that experience as opposed to waiting until later in the season,” explained Richardson. “Kristi Kotterman is going to have huge responsibility on her shoulders, but she’ll handle it because she’s a tough kid. Katie Stallard is good on each end of the floor, and both her and Kristi are leaders. Tonee Hutton is at athletic as can be, and will really be an asset to us defensively in addition to getting out in the open floor offensively. Those three players are pretty important right now to what we’re trying to accomplish.”

As the season approaches, the coaching staff has not created specific expectations. Instead, they have emphasized the basics and how to take everything one day at a time.

“I always ask the kids to work hard, compete, and have fun – because that’s part of the game as well,” said the 18th year Head Coach. “If they have the work ethic, chemistry, and leadership, the winning will take care of itself. I think many will see the dynamics change drastically from where we are now to where we will be in March.”

Richardson will look to record her 11th winning season in a row with the Cardinals in 2008-09. She has compiled a 237-200 record, including a 160-144 conference record since arriving at Otterbein seventeen years ago.

Roth Selected as Preseason All-American
Written November 7, 2008 by Adam Prescott

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein senior guard Laura Roth (Cincinnati/Mother of Mercy H.S.) has been named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Fourth Team.

Roth, a three-year letterwinner who has started all 79 games since arriving at Otterbein, is the leading returning scorer in the Ohio Athletic Conference, having averaged 17.3 ppg last season. In addition, she led the conference in assists per game (4.7) and steals per game (2.2). Last year, she was named first team all-conference and was also selected to the All-OAC Academic first team.

In 2007-08, Roth ranked in the top 50 nationally in points, assists, three-point field goals made (2.73/game), three-point field goal percentage (.386), and free-throw percentage (.827). She currently sits eighth on the Otterbein women's career scoring list with 1,186 points and fourth all-time in assists with 351.

A three time All-OAC selection, Roth will lead a Cardinal team that returns three starters and nine total letterwinners from last season’s team that finished 10-8 in conference play.

Roth and Muskingum senior forward Jessica McKenzie (also named to the fourth team) were the only two players from Ohio selected as Preseason All-Americans.

Otterbein begins their season against Rowan (NJ) on November 21 at the Washington and Jefferson Tournament.

Roth and Fee Earn All-OAC Honors
Written March 5, 2008 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Laura Roth and Sara Fee were named to All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) teams in women’s basketball, the OAC released today.

Roth, a junior point guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), was named to the first team. Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, earned second team honors. Both are three-time all-conference selections.

Roth led the OAC in scoring (17.3/game), assists (4.7/game) and steals (2.2/game) through games of March 1. She ranked second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13) and made three-pointers (2.7/game); third in free-throw percentage (82.7); and fourth in three-point field-goal percentage (38.6).

Fee, who averaged 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds a game, ranked second in the OAC in field-goal percentage (60.0), seventh in assists (2.8/game) and eighth in free-throw percentage (77.8).

Cards Fall in OAC Quarterfinals
Written Feb. 27, 2008 by Brett Rybak

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The #5 seed Capital Crusaders used solid defense and double-digit scoring from four players to top #4 seed Otterbein, 72-66, in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament quarterfinal action Wednesday night in the Rike Center.

Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), led the Cards with 18 points, including 5 of 9 from three-point land, while Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes), tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds, marking her ninth double-double of the season.

After both teams started out hot from the field, Capital was able to use a 17-8 run, including seven points from Kristen Richardson, a sophomore guard from Oxford (Talawanda), to take a 35-25 lead with 5:24 left in the first half. The Crusaders shot 51.7 percent from the field in the half, 4 of 7 from behind the three-point line, to take a 39-31 lead into the locker room.

The Cards cut the lead to 45-40 with 13:35 left in the game before Capital used an old-fashioned three-point play by Caitlin Elsass, a junior forward from Batavia (Clermont Northeastern), and a three-pointer from the left corner by Chelsea Ruoff, a sophomore guard from Grove City, to push the lead up to 11. Otterbein would answer back with a 9-2 run, including eight points from Laura Roth, to cut the Crusader lead to three, but that would be as close as the Cards would get as Capital hit 15 of 18 free-throws over the final 5:23 to seal the victory.

After hitting the game-winner in Saturday’s win over Capital, Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, added 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists in her final game at Otterbein.

Richardson led the Crusaders with 20 points. Ruoff chipped in 17 points while Elsass added 13 points, including a perfect 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. The game was decided at the line where Capital shot 80.8 percent compared to the Cards’ 61.1 percent.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “player of the week” in women’s basketball, the OAC released Monday.

Fee collected 26 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in wins over Wilmington and Capital last week.

The senior guard banked in a three-pointer from half court as time expired to lift Otterbein to a 63-62 win over Capital last Saturday in Westerville. Fee tallied 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over Capital, which followed a 13 point, six rebound performance in a 93-87 win over Wilmington last Wednesday in the Rike Center.

On the week, Fee made 10 of 12 from the field, 4 of 6 from the free-throw line, and both of her shot attempts from beyond the three-point arc.

Cards Open OAC Tourney with Capital
Written Feb. 24, 2008 by Steve Cawley

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein seeks its third-straight win over Capital this season as the Cardinals welcome the Crusaders to the Rike Center for the second time in five days, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday in a quarterfinal game of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament.

The Cardinals nipped the Crusaders, 63-62, at the buzzer on a banked three-pointer from half court as time expired Saturday in the Rike Center. The victory gave Otterbein (14-11, 10-8) the #4 seed in the OAC Tournament—after winning a three-way tiebreaker with Capital and John Carroll—and the right to host Capital (16-9, 10-8) in Tuesday’s first-round game.

Capital, under 22nd-year head coach Dixie Jeffers, enters tonight as the #5 seed. Otterbein, under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, swept the regular-season series against the Crusaders.

On Saturday, Capital hit one of two free throws with three seconds to play to give the Crusaders a two-point advantage, 62-60. Otterbein inbounded the ball to Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, who took a couple of dribbles and banked in a bomb from just in front of half-court to give the Cards the victory.

Katy Miller, a sophomore post from Delaware (Hayes High School), led four Cardinals in double figures, recording a double-double, 14 points and 14 rebounds. Fee chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds. Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), added 12 points and seven assists and Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), contributed 11 points.

Kristen Richardson, a sophomore guard from Oxford (Talawanda High School), led Capital with 30 points.

The Cardinals won the first meeting of the season against Capital, 77-69, Jan. 19 at the Capital Center. The Crusaders jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first minute of the game before Otterbein took over, going on a 15-0 run that started and ended with Roth, hitting three-pointers on her way to 19 first-half points. Roth led four Cardinals with 24 points.

Roth led the OAC in scoring during the regular season, averaging 17.3 a game, and assists 4.76 a game; and tied for second in steals (2.16 a game) and in three-point field-goals made (2.64 a game); ranked third in free-throw percentage (85 of 102 for 83.3 percent) and eighth in three-point field-goal percentage (66 of 175 for 37.7 percent).

Capital’s Richardson finished fifth in scoring in the conference (15.0 a game) and tied for second in steals (2.16 a game).

The winner of tonight’s quarterfinal faces the winner of the Heidelberg (#8 seed) vs. Baldwin-Wallace (#1 seed) matchup Thursday in the OAC Tournament semifinals. The game will be played at the highest remaining seed. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Cards Knock off Capital on Fee's Buzzer-Beater
Written Feb. 23, 2008 by Brett Rybak

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The Otterbein Cardinals nipped cross-town rival Capital, 63-62, at the buzzer on a made three-pointer from half court as time expired Saturday in the Rike Center.

With three seconds to play, and Otterbein trailing, 62-60, Sara Fee, a senior from Bryan, took the inbounds pass and banked in a bomb from just in front of half-court to give the Cards the victory.

“I would have to rank that as one of the best finishes at Otterbein,” said Otterbein head coach Connie Richardson. “Of all of the kids to hit it, I couldn’t be happier for Sara Fee. She is one that never quits and to have the ball in her hands at the end was a bonus for us.”

The Crusaders lead early, 10-9, at the 15:28 mark of the first half before Otterbein rallied with a 21-4 run over the next 7:49 to pull ahead 30-14. The Cards took a 13-point lead, 40-27, into halftime.

Capital opened the second period with a 17-9 run as the Cards went cold from the field, going scoreless for 5:33 during that stretch. Otterbein held onto the lead, however, until Capital’s Kristen Richardson, a sophomore guard from Oxford (Talawanda High School), drove the left baseline and connected on a lay-up and a free throw to tie the game at 58 with 2:16 to play.

The two teams traded baskets and the score remained tied at 60 with 1:17 to play. Heather McAlpin, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Colerain), connected on 2 of 4 free throws over the final 16 seconds to put Capital on top, 62-60, before Fee’s made three-pointer at the end of the game.

Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes), led four Otterbein starters in double-figures with 14 points and 14 rebounds, marking her eighth double-double of the season. Fee tallied 13 points and eight rebounds while Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), added 12. Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), scored 11 points.

Richardson led Capital with 30 points on 12-of-25 shooting. McAlpin added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Crusaders.

With the win, the Cardinals earned the #4 seed in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament and will host the #5 seed Crusaders Tuesday night in Westerville. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

Cards Host Capital to Close Out the Regular Season
Written Feb. 21, 2008 by Steve Cawley

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, coming off an upset win over Wilmington, who had been sitting second in the OAC, seeks to sweep the season series against cross-town rival Capital in the regular-season finale, 5:30 p.m., Saturday in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) battle at the Rike Center.

It’s been a season of streaks for the Cardinals (13-11). In February, they won four in row after losing three in a row to end January, and, on Wednesday, snapped a two-game losing streak. The Cards, under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, got double-digit scoring from four starters to turn back Wilmington, 93-87, to move back over the .500 mark (9-8) and into sixth place in conference play.

Capital (16-8, 10-7) outscored Heidelberg, 34-17, in the second half to get a 59-45 OAC win Wednesday in Tiffin. The Crusaders sit in a tie with John Carroll for fourth place in the OAC standings. Both Otterbein and Capital look to gain momentum and fight for seeding as they prepare for the OAC Tournament, which is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Wednesday in the Rike, The Quakers ran the score to 81-69 at the 9:21 mark of the second half before the Cardinals went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:46 to cut the lead to two. The game stayed close until Otterbein took the lead for good, 86-85, when Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), hit a three-pointer with 3:03 left in the game. The Cards hit 5 of 6 free throws—four coming from Roth—down the stretch to close it out.

Roth continued to have the hot hand and led the Cardinals with 29 points, including a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), chipped in 18 points while Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, added 17 points and eight rebounds.

Capital, under 22nd-year head coach Dixie Jeffers, opened the second half on a decisive 11-3 run for a 36-31 lead over Heidelberg Wednesday. They never trailed again, stretching the margin to 17 before settling for the 14-point victory. Heather McAlpin, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Colerain), led the Crusaders with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Entering midweek, Otterbein’s Roth led the OAC in scoring, averaging 17.6 a game, and assists, 4.79 a game; and ranked second in steals (2.17 a game), second in three-point field-goals made (2.71 a game), third in free-throw percentage (83 of 100 for 83.0 percent) and third in three-point field-goal percentage (65 of 167 for 38.9 percent).

Capital’s Kristen Richardson, a sophomore guard from Oxford (Talawanda), ranked sixth in scoring in the conference (14.3 a game) and fourth in steals (2.08 a game).

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, getting double-digit scoring from four starters, turned back Wilmington, 93-87, Wednesday night in Westerville.

With the win, the Cardinals move back over the .500 mark, 9-8, in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play and 13-11 overall. The Quakers fall to 18-6, 12-5 in league play.

Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), led the Cardinals with 29 points, including a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), chipped in 18 points while Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, added 17 points and eight rebounds.

After Wilmington jumped out to a 21-8 lead at the 15:58 mark of the first half, the Cardinals went on a 13-3 run over the next 3:16 to cut the lead to three. The Quakers fought back with a 13-5 run of their own to boost their lead to eleven with 10:02 left in the half. Otterbein was able to outscore Wilmington 23-15 over the final ten minutes to cut the Quakers' advantage to 52-49 at the half.

The Quakers ran the score to 81-69 at the 9:21 mark of the second half before the Cardinals went on a 10-0 run over the next 3:46 to cut the lead to two. The game stayed close until Otterbein took the lead for good, 86-85, when Roth hit a three-pointer with 3:03 left in the game. The Cards hit 5 of 6 free throws—four coming from Roth—down the stretch to close it out.

Wilmington placed four players in double-figures with Katie Streck, a senior forward from Dayton (Carroll), leading the way with 21. Gina Hyle, a senior forward from Lawrenceburg, In. (McAuley), added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Quakers.

Otterbein will host cross-town Capital Saturday at 5:30 p.m. to close out regular-season play while the Quakers host John Carroll at 3 p.m.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, after losing two in a row, looks to get back on the upswing as they square off against the Quakers of Wilmington, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday in the Rike Center.

It’s been a roller coaster ride for the Cardinals throughout February. After winning four straight to start the month, Otterbein dropped its last two contests, including an 83-74 loss to Heidelberg on Saturday. The loss dropped Otterbein (12-11), under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, to 8-8 in the league, sixth place. Wilmington (18-5, 12-4) overcame a slow start against Mount Union Saturday and beat the Purple Raiders, 69-56. They sit in a tie for second place in the OAC standings with Ohio Northern.

Heidelberg went on a 7-0 run to close out the first half to grab a 51-44 lead on Saturday; it was a lead they would never relinquish. The Cardinals, who were playing without Ana Gamble, a senior forward from Pickerington (North), cut the lead to two several times in the second half, the final one coming on a Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), three-pointer at the 4:16 mark.

Roth tied the school record with eight made three-pointers in a single game and led the Cardinals with 30 points, tying her career high, and seven assists. Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, scored her 1,000th-career point, adding 17 points for the game.

Wilmington, under 18th-year head coach Jerry Scheve, went on a 13-4 run midway through the first half against Mount Union Saturday to take the lead for good, 27-19. Marianne McGoron, a sophomore guard from Hamilton (Fenwick), paced the Quakers with 19 points. Gina Hyle, a senior forward from Lawrenceburg, IN (McAuley), recorded a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds.

Entering the week, Otterbein’s Roth led the OAC in scoring (17.1 a game), assists (4.78 a game) and steals (2.22 a game); and ranked second in three-point field-goals made (2.65 a game), fifth in free-throw percentage (72 of 89 for 80.9 percent) and sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (61 of 161 for 37.9 percent).

Fee ranked second in the conference in field-goal percentage (99 of 167 for 59.3 percent), tied for seventh in assists (2.70 a game) and ranked ninth in free-throw percentage (55 of 71 for 77.5 percent).

Wilmington’s Katie Streck, a senior post from Dayton (Carroll), led the conference in free-throw percentage, making 81 of 88 free throws for 92.0 percent; and ranked third in scoring (15.7 a game) and fourth in field-goal percentage (132 of 251 for 52.6 percent).

Otterbein dropped the first contest to Wilmington, 73-62, Jan. 16 in Wilmington. Wilmington jumped out to an early lead with a 10-0 run to start the game and the Cardinals never recovered, trailing by as many as 24 points. Roth led the Cards with 15 points.

Otterbein hosts cross-town rival Capital in the regular-season finale on Saturday with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. Wilmington hosts John Carroll on Saturday.

Sara Fee Hits the 1000-Point Mark
Written Feb. 18, 2008 by Brett Rybak

WESTERVILLE, OHIO – After a season best four-game winning streak, Otterbein dropped their second-straight game, 83-74, to Heidelberg Saturday afternoon in Westerville.

Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan (Bryan High School), became the 12th player in Otterbein women’s basketball history and second this season to surpass the 1,000-point barrier with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), led the Cardinals with a career-high 30 points, tying the school record with eight three-pointers in the game. Roth reached 1,000 career points on Jan. 26 in a 73-70 loss at John Carroll.

“Sara reaching 1,000 points is a testament to the work ethic and commitment she has made to the game and this program. It is quite an accomplishment considering she has never been the leading scorer on the team,” said Otterbein head coach Connie Richardson. “I wish more people would understand what she has done in her four years at Otterbein as a student-athlete.”

Heidelberg took a six-point lead with 6:26 left in the first half before Otterbein went on a 10-2 run over the next 4:04 to take a two-point lead. The Cards’ advantage was short-lived as Heidelberg went on a 9-0 run to take a 51-44 lead into the half. Otterbein shot 58.1 percent from the field including 45.5 percent from three-point land in the first half. Roth and Fee combined for 24 of Otterbein’s 44 points before the intermission.

Trailing 62-56, Fee was fouled on a made jumper with 6:59 left in the second half to top the 1,000-point mark. She made the free-throw, cutting the Heidelberg lead to three. Two minutes later, Roth hit a three-pointer to make the score, 66-64, but Heidelberg went on a 13-5 run over the next 3:24 to seal the win.

Otterbein’s Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), added 15 points and five assists while Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes), grabbed 11 rebounds.

Heidelberg placed six players in double-figure scoring. Amanda Campbell, a senior guard from Pataskala (Watkins Memorial), led The Berg with 18 points while Jenny Miller, a freshman forward from Tiffin (Clyde), chipped in 15.

With the win, Heidelberg improved to 10-13 overall and 5-11 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Otterbein dropped to 12-11 overall and 8-8 in OAC play.

After losing four of six in January, the Cardinals (12-10, 8-7) hit their stride, winning every game in February before traveling to Berea and losing to the league-leading Yellow Jackets, 81-56, Wednesday. Otterbein, under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, sits in sixth place in the OAC.

Heidelberg (9-13, 4-11), meanwhile, could not overcome John Carroll’s hot shooting in the second half Wednesday and lost 76-72. The Berg sits in eighth place in the conference standings.

Baldwin-Wallace raced out of the gate with an 11-0 run to start the game. Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, hit a three-pointer at the 12:52 mark of the first half to cut the lead to four, 14-10, but the Yellow Jackets quickly responded and built the lead back to 17 by half. Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), paced Otterbein with 16 points, including four three-pointers.

Heidelberg, under 20th-year head coach Karen McConnell, led the Blue Streak by as many as 12 in the first half, but relinquished the lead for good with 2:15 left in the first half. Amanda Campbell, a senior guard from Pataskala (Watkins Memorial), scored 19 points and snared six rebounds to pace Heidelberg.

Entering midweek, Otterbein’s Roth led the OAC in assists, averaging 4.68 a game, and steals, averaging 2.27 a game; and ranked second in scoring (16.5 a game), fifth in free-throw percentage (68 of 84 for 81.0 percent), fourth in three-point field-goals made (2.41 a game) and 10th in three-point field-goal percentage (53 of 147 for 36.1 percent).

The Cardinals’ Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Hayes), ranked second in the league in rebounding (8.9 a game), and eighth in blocked shots (0.73 a game).

Heidelberg’s Campbell ranked seventh in rebounding (7.2 a game) in the OAC, sixth in free-throw percentage (69-86 for 80.2 percent), eighth in steals (1.86 a game) and 10th in three-point field-goals made (1.55 a game).

Otterbein dropped the first battle to Heidelberg, 58-43, Jan. 12 in Tiffin. Heidelberg started the game with a 10-0 run and the Cardinals never recovered, shooting below 35 percent for the entire game. Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (Pickerington North), led the Cards with 15 points.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) “player of the week” in women’s basketball, the OAC released Monday. This marks the second time this season that Roth has received the award.

Roth collected 37 points, 11 assists and five steals over two OAC wins against Ohio Northern and Mount Union last week.

She scored 22 points in a 77-65 upset win over Ohio Northern last Wednesday in Ada, then collected 15 points and eight assists in an 85-79 decision over Mount Union Saturday in Westerville.

With the wins, Otterbein, 12-9 overall, moved into a three-way tie with Capital and John Carroll for fourth place, each 8-6 in the OAC.

Cards Extend Win Streak to Four with Win over Mount
Written Feb. 9, 2008 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, getting double-digit scoring from all five starters, won its fourth straight, turning back Mount Union, 85-79, Saturday in the Rike Center.

The Cardinals, 12-9 overall, improved to 8-6 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play and have won five of their last six games, building a little momentum ahead of their showdown against league-leading Baldwin-Wallace Wednesday in Berea. The Yellow Jackets knocked off Wilmington, 71-55, today to move to 19-2 overall and 12-2 in the OAC.

“Any kind of momentum you can obtain going into a game up in Berea is always a plus,” said Otterbein head coach Connie Richardson, whose team wore pink warm-up jerseys today, taking part in a nation-wide “Think Pink” campaign sponsored by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to raise awareness of breast cancer.

The game was close throughout—the Cardinals leading by just two at the half, 44-42—until Otterbein broke a 67-67 tie with a 6-0 run to take the lead for good, 73-67, with 4:11 to play in the game. Mount Union pulled to within two, trailing, 77-75, with 1:57 remaining, but the Cardinals made 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Purple Raiders, who dropped to 8-13 overall and 5-9 in the OAC.

Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes High School), led the Otterbein attack, notching her seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Miller made 7 of 8 shots from the field and hit 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (North), tallied 16 points, four assists and four rebounds. Laura Roth, a junior point guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), added 15 points and eight assists.

Alicia Williams, a senior center from Parma (Holy Name), collected 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead Mount Union. Katie Crider, a freshman guard from Brunswick, came off the bench and scored 16.

Fee Earns First Team Academic All-District Honors
Written Feb. 8, 2008 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Sara Fee, a senior from Bryan, Ohio, was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV first team in women’s basketball as selected by the College Sports Information Director’s of America (CoSIDA), released Thursday by CoSIDA.

Fee, who earned second team academic all-district honors as a sophomore and junior, is now eligible for Academic All-America consideration.

A three-year starter at guard, Fee is majoring in nursing and has made the Otterbein Dean’s List all 10 quarters.

Fee, who is averaging 11.2 points and 4.7 rebounds a game, has scored in double digits over the last four games. She has 967 points in her career. The senior guard ranks second in the Ohio Athletic Conference for shooting accuracy, making 86 of 145 field-goal attempts for 59.3 percent.

Academic All-District IV team members are selected through voting by CoSIDA, a 2,000-member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. District IV encompasses the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Cards Carry 3-Game Winning Streak into Mount Union Game
Written Feb. 7, 2008 by Steve Cawley

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein seeks to keep the winning streak alive as they square off against the Mount Union Purple Raiders, 3 p.m., Saturday at the Rike Center in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) battle.

The Cardinals (11-9, 7-6), winners of three straight under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, sit tied for fifth in the OAC and look for win number four in a row after knocking off Ohio Northern, 77-65, Wednesday in Ada. Mount Union (8-12, 5-8) faced a set back, losing to John Carroll, 61-51, Wednesday. They sit in seventh place in the conference standings.

Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), hit a lay-up with 2:23 left in the first half to start an 8-2 run to close the half as the Cardinals built the lead to 12, 43-31. The closest the Polar Bears got was seven in the second half and the Cardinals pulled away for a 12-point victory.

Roth paced Otterbein with 22 points, hitting three from behind the three-point line, and Sara Fee, a senior guard from Byran (Bryan), added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (Pickerington North), chipped in 11 points.

Mount Union, under fourth-year head coach Suzy Venet, cut the John Carroll lead to two, 44-42, at the 9:31 mark in the second half on a lay-up from Lauren Forquer, a freshman center from North Canton (Green), but the Purple Raiders were never able to regain the lead losing 61-51. Alicia Williams, a senior center from Parma (Holy Name), snared 12 rebounds and chipped in eight points.

Entering midweek, Otterbein’s Roth led the OAC in scoring, averaging 16.6 points a game, and assists, averaging 4.65 a game; and ranked second in steals (2.20 a game), sixth in free-throw percentage (64 of 80 for 80.0 percent), fourth in three-point field-goals made (2.30 a game) and ninth in three-point field-goal percentage (46 of 133 for 34.6 percent).

Fee ranked second in field-goal percentage (84 of 145 for 59.3 percent), eighth in assists (2.70 a game) and eighth in free-throw percentage (46 of 60 for 76.7 percent).

Mount Union’s Williams tied for fourth in the league in rebounding at 7.6 a game and ranked fifth in blocked shots at 0.95 a game.

The Cardinals cruised to an 18-point victory in the first matchup against the Purple Raiders, 65-47, on Dec.15 in Alliance. Mount Union cut the lead to eight early in the second half, but Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), responded and hit a jumper to build the lead back to double digits. Volkmer led Otterbein with 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, a winner in three of its last four games, extended its win streak to two with a convincing 90-79 win over visiting Muskingum Saturday in the Rike Center.

With the win, the Cardinals moved back over the .500 mark, 10-9 overall, and evened its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) record to 5-5. Muskingum dropped to 8-10 overall and 3-9 in league play.

The Fighting Muskies opened the game red hot, scoring 10 of the game’s first 12 points. The Cardinals countered with a 24-14 run capped off by a three-pointer from guard Laura Roth, a junior from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), to knot the score at 26 with 8:24 to play in the first half.

The two teams traded baskets over the next three minutes before Otterbein took the lead for good, 48-38, with 1:19 to play in the half on a strong and balanced 16-5 run in which six different Cardinal players scored. Otterbein led, 48-42, at the half.

Otterbein maintained control throughout the second half, leading by as many as 18 points with 2:22 to play.

Roth led a group of five Cardinals scoring in double digits. The point guard, hitting 5 of 9 three-point attempts, finished with 24 points along with a career-high 13 assists. Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (North), scored 18, all three-pointers as she made 6 of 11 from beyond the arc. Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes), picked up her sixth double-double of the season, tallying 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Others scoring in double digits for Otterbein were Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), 16 points, and Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, 14 points.

Cards to Host the Fighting Muskies
Written Jan. 31, 2008 by Steve Cawley

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein looks to string two victories together as they host the Muskies of Muskingum in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) battle at the Rike Center, 3 p.m., Saturday.

The Cardinals (9-9, 5-6), under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, sit tied for fifth in the OAC and look for brighter skies in February after a rocky January road. Otterbein finished the month 2-4, but cruised to a comfortable 84-64 victory over Marietta on Wednesday evening. Muskingum (8-9, 3-8), losers of two in a row, sit in ninth place in the conference and lost to John Carroll Wednesday, 67-55.

Otterbein scored 18 unanswered points at the beginning of the second half against Marietta to increase their lead from a two-point margin to a 20-point lead. Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Hayes), started and ended the run with a lay-up and a jumper.

Sara Fee, a senior guard from Byran, paced Otterbein with 17 points, shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw stripe, six rebounds and five assists. Miller chipped in 16 points and Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (Pickerington North), went 3 of 6 from three-point range and added 10 points.

Muskingum, under fourth-year head coach Beth Fox, went on a 12-2 run midway through the second half to cut John Carroll’s lead to five, 56-51, on Wednesday. The final push would not be enough, however, as John Carroll outscored the Muskies 11-4 to end the game, sealing the win, 67-55. Jessica McKenzie, a junior post from Hopewell (West Muskingum), led the Muskies with 17 points and 12 rebounds to record a double-double.

Entering midweek, Otterbein’s Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), tied for the league lead in steals, averaging 2.28 a game; and ranked third in scoring (15.9 points a game), second in assists (4.28 a game), seventh in free-throw percentage (54 of 69 for 78.3 percent) and fourth in three-point field goals made (2.11 a game).

Gamble ranked ninth in the league in scoring (13.4 points a game), tied for seventh in steals (1.83 a game), 10th in three-point field-goal percentage (42 of 122 for 34.4 percent) and third in three-point field goals made (2.33 a game).

Muskingum’s McKenzie led the OAC in rebounding at 10.7 a game and in field-goal percentage, making 106 of 173 shots for 61.3 percent; and ranked fifth in scoring (15.4 points a game), eighth in assists (2.76 a game) and fourth in blocked shots (1.06 a game).

The Cardinals lost the first matchup against Muskingum, 87-81, Dec. 8 in New Concord. The Muskies took the lead late in the first half on a pair of free throws and never relinquished it. Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), led Otterbein with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

Cards Come up Short in University Heights
Written Jan. 26, 2008 by Ed Syguda

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OHIO—Otterbein opened strong, carrying the momentum gained from last Saturday’s win over cross-town rival Capital, but faded late in the second half in a 73-70 loss at John Carroll Saturday.

Otterbein’s Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford High School), took the game’s last shot, missing a three-pointer from the Otterbein right baseline as time expired.

Guard Laura Roth, a junior from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), opened the Otterbein scoring with a three-pointer, sparking an Otterbein 24-11 run over the first eight minutes of the game. Roth, who finished with a game and career-high 30 points, scored 14 over that opening run, including four made three-pointers. The Cardinals led, 37-29, at the half.

Roth, again, opened the Otterbein scoring in the second half, hitting the first of two free-throw attempts for the 1,000th point of her career 33 seconds into the second period.

The Cardinals still led by six points, 54-48, with 10:50 remaining. That’s when the Blue Streaks got hot, mounting a 13-0 run to take the lead for good, 61-54, with 8:05 to play. The Cardinals closed to within one on a three-point basket from Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (North), with 6:42 to go, but John Carroll was able to boost its lead back up to eight with 4:47 to play.

Otterbein fought back, pulling to within one point, 71-70, with 1:15 to play. The Blue Streaks made two of four free-throw attempts over the next minute, setting up Volkmer’s three-point attempt at the end of the game.

Otterbein’s Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes), finished with a career-high 21 rebounds (18 of them defensive), just two rebounds off the Otterbein school record of 23. Roth, who finished with 30 points, made 11 of 21 from the field, including 5 of 12 three-point field-goal attempts. Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, tallied 15 points and eight rebounds. Gamble chipped in 13 points.

John Carroll placed three players in double-figure scoring. Caitlin Sureck, a sophomore forward from Medina (Walsh Jesuit), collected a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

With the win, John Carroll improved to 11-6 overall and 6-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Otterbein dropped to 8-9 overall and 4-6 in OAC play.

The Cardinals, playing their last four games on the road, remain on the road, traveling to Marietta Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. John Carroll travels to Muskingum Wednesday.

Roth Sparks Cards to Crucial Win at Capital
Written Jan. 19, 2008 by Steve Cawley

Capital jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first minute of the game. The Cardinals took over from there going on a 15-0 run that started and ended with Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), hitting three-pointers on her way to 19 first-half points.

The Crusaders cut the lead to five, 34-29, on a lay-up by Caitlin Elsass, a junior forward from Batavia (Clermont Northeastern), with 0:33 left in the first half. Roth answered quickly with another three-pointer to close out the half and build the Cardinal lead back to eight, 37-29.

Roth continued the hot hand coming out of the locker room converting a lay-up and free throw for an old fashion three-point play and an 11-point lead. Capital continued to battle, but could never get closer than six with under a minute to go in the game. Otterbein hit 10 of 14 free throws in the final 2:23 to seal the victory.

Roth led four Cardinals in double figures with 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, including three three-pointers, and 5 of 5 from the foul stripe. Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (Pickerington North), contributed 18 points, and Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), added 11. Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Hayes), tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Elsass led Capital with 21 points going 9 of 13 from the field and snared eight rebounds. Heather McAlpin, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Colerain), added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Otterbein moves to 8-8 overall and 4-5 in the OAC with the victory. Capital falls to 10-5 overall and 5-4 in the OAC.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO-Otterbein, winner of it’s third straight Smokey Ballenger Classic, hosts the Yellow Jackets of Baldwin-Wallace in Wednesday's Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) game.

Otterbein enters Wednesday's game sitting in fifth place (3-2) in the OAC while Baldwin-Wallace enters locked in a four-way tie for first place in conference play (4-1).

The Cardinals (7-5, 3-2), under 17^th-year head coach Connie Richardson, claimed the Smokey Ballenger Classic championship by defeating Saint Mary’s College (IN), 79-65, on Dec. 29. It was back and forth until late in the second half when Sara Fee, a senior guard from Byran (Bryan), was fouled sending her to the line with 4:22 to play and Otterbein leading 62-59. Fee hit both foul shots to start a 16-6 run to put the game away.

Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (Pickerington North), led the Cardinals with 20 points, making six of 15 shots from the field and seven of 12 from the foul line against Saint Mary’s. The previous night in the Smokey Ballenger Classic, Gamble scored 21 on seven of 13 shooting, including four of eight from beyond the 3-point line, in an 89-64 victory over Franklin College (IN). The senior guard, who was named to the all-tournament team, sits eighth in the OAC for scoring (13.9 points a game) third in 3-pointers made (2.25 a game) and eighth in steals (1.83).

Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Hayes), tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), and Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), each contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Yellow Jackets (11-1, 4-1), under head coach Cheri Harrer, who is in her 18^th season at Baldwin-Wallace, won their sixth straight, defeating Heidelberg, 84-59, Friday, Jan. 4, at home in Berea.

Selena Eskinazi-Budge, a senior guard from Beachwood, led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 15 points. Ariel Brough, a sophomore center from Powell (Olentangy Liberty) chipped in 12 points and Amanda Schroeder, a freshman forward from Columbus Grove, came off the bench to contribute 10.

Coming into the week, Otterbein’s Roth led the OAC in assists, averaging 5.0 a game, and steals, 2.83 an outing; and ranked fifth in scoring (15.1 points and game), eighth in free throw percentage (76.6) and sixth in 3-pointers made (1.92 a game).

Miller held down the second spot in rebounding, averaging 9.3 a contest, while Fee ranked second in field-goal percentage, making 48 of 80 attempts for 60 percent. Volkmer ranked 10^th in scoring (13.0 points a game) and sixth in field-goal percentage (54.8) making 63 of 115 shots.

Baldwin-Wallace’s Brough led the OAC in blocked shots, averaging 1.92 a game. Budge ranked fourth in steals (2.17 a game) and 10^th in blocked shots (0.75 a game). Amanda Mondrach, a junior guard from Parma (Holy Name), held the second spot for 3-point field-goal percentage (50), hitting 14 of 28 attempts.

Next up for Otterbein – a trip to Tiffin to battle Heidelberg in an OAC contest on Saturday, Jan. 12.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—For the third straight year, the Otterbein women’s basketball team claimed the Smokey Ballenger Classic championship by defeating Saint Mary’s College (IN), 79-65.

The Cardinals opened the game by scoring the first six points, but eventually the Belles would battle back, allowing for several lead changes throughout the first half. At the end of the first half, the Cardinals sat on a 39-36 lead.

The second half saw much of the same trend until late when Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, was fouled sending her to the line with 4:22 to play and Otterbein leading, 62-59. Fee sank both foul shots to start a 16-6 run and put the game away.

During Otterbein’s run, Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (Pickerington North), was big down the stretch, making eight of the 16 points in the Otterbein run.

Gamble, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Cardinals with 20 points. Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Hayes), tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds. Miller was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), and Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), each contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Allison Kessler, a senior guard from LaPorte, Ind., led Saint Mary’s with 18 points and five assists. Erin Newsome, a junior forward from South Bend, Ind., added 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor. Kessler and Newsome were named to the all-tournament team.

Cards Advance to Championship Game in Smokey Ballenger Classic
Written Dec. 28, 2007 by Aurelio Ruiz

WESTERVILLE, OHIO— In tournament action, the Otterbein women’s basketball team kicked off the 28th-annual Smokey Ballenger Classic with an 89-64 victory over Franklin College (IN).

Otterbein’s scoring attack was led by Ana Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (North), who set a career high with 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting from the floor. Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), added 14 points and also contributed six assists and six steals. Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, chipped in 13 points and was perfect at the foul line, making all four of her attempts.

After an 8-8 tie early in the first half, the Cardinals mounted a 22-5 run and led, 30-14, with 11:40 to play in the first half. Otterbein continued to roll after the intermission as it opened the second half with a 27-7 run to put the game out of reach for the Grizzlies.

Franklin was led by Heather Harper, a sophomore center from Mooresville, Ind. Harper shot 8 of 13 from the floor on her way to scoring 22 points. She also added 11 rebounds.

Cards to Host Polar Bears in Key OAC Matchup
Written Dec. 17, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, a winner in four of its last five games, hosts the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) game.

The two teams entered the week locked in a five-way tie for first place, each 3-1 in the OAC.

The Cardinals (5-4, 3-1), under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, took a 7-5 lead four minutes into the game off a layup from Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), and never trailed again in a 65-47 win over Mount Union Saturday in Alliance.

Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford High School), matched her career scoring high with 23 points, making 10 of 12 shots from the field at Mount Union. A week earlier, Volkmer scored 23 on 10-of-13 shooting in an 87-81 loss at Muskingum Dec. 8. The sophomore guard, who has scored in double digits over the last four games, sits seventh in the OAC for scoring (13.7 points a game) and fourth for field-goal percentage (58.6), making 51 of 87 shot attempts.

Anna Gamble, a senior forward from Pickerington (North), and Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, each scored 14 at Mount Union. Roth handed out seven assists, a season high for her.

The Polar Bears (7-2, 3-1), under head coach Michele Durand, who is in her seventh season at Ohio Northern, won their second straight, defeating John Carroll, 77-57, Saturday at home in Ada.

Erin Brand, a senior center from Yorkshire (Marion Local), led a group of five Polar Bears scoring in double digits. Brand tallied 17 points and seven rebounds. Alisha Rinehart, a sophomore guard from Lima (Perry), came off the bench to notch her first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Coming into the week, Otterbein’s Roth led the OAC in assists, averaging 4.6 a game, and steals, 2.8 an outing; and ranked fourth in scoring (15.7 points a game) and third in 3-pointers made (2.1 per game).

Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Hayes), held down the third spot in rebounding, averaging 9.1 an outing, while Sara Fee ranked second in field-goal percentage, making 38 of 62 attempts for 61.3 percent. Gamble ranked fourth in free-throw percentage (81.5), making 22 of 27, and sixth in 3-pointers made (1.9 a game).

Ohio Northern’s Jenny Markle, a senior guard from Fairlawn (Copley), led the OAC in three-point field-goal percentage (60.0) and made threes (3.0 a game). Markle has made 27 of 45 three-point field-goal attempts this season. Emily Culbertson, a junior guard from Mount Vernon, ranked second in both steals (2.6 a game) and three-point field-goal percentage (56.3). Rinehart ranked second for free-throw percentage (87.8), hitting 36 of 41 attempts.

Cards Improve to 2-0 in the OAC with Win over Marietta
Written Dec. 6, 2007 by Aurelio Ruiz

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—The Otterbein women’s basketball team won its third straight game, defeating Marietta, 89-53, in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action Wednesday night at the Rike Center. With the win, the Cardinals improved to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the OAC. With the loss, the Pioneers fell to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in the OAC.

Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), led five Otterbein players scoring in double digits. Roth scored 16 points and was 4 of 6 from three-point range. Roth also chipped in two rebounds and four steals.

Allison Huettel, a sophomore post from Pickerington (North), set a career high with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Anna Gamble, a senior guard from Pickerington (North), added 15 points, two assists, and two steals. Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford), and Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, each contributed 10 points, respectively.

The Cardinals controlled the entire game and led by as many 23 points in the first half. The scoring continued after the intermission as Otterbein continued to shoot well from the field and buried Marietta with a 37-point deficit late into the second half. The Cardinals also cleared the bench as every player saw time on the floor.

Otterbein finished 36 of 67 (.537) from the field, 6 of 11 (.545) from three-point range, and 11 of 16 (.688) from the free-throw line. The Cardinals dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Pioneers, 48-36, in the win.

Justine Pagenhardt, a senior guard from Oakland, Md. (Southern Garrett), led Marietta with 20 points in the loss. Amanda Carraher, a junior guard from Hilliard (Davidson), added 14 points.

Cards Carry Two-Game Win Streak into Marietta Game
Written Dec. 4, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, a winner in three of its last four games, hosts the Pioneers of Marietta College, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) game.

The two teams opened OAC play last Saturday—the Cardinals extending their win streak to two games with an 87-79 win over John Carroll at home while Marietta saw its two-game winning streak snapped in an 87-46 loss to Ohio Northern at home.

Otterbein, under 17th-year head coach Connie Richardson, used a 10-2 run late in the second half to build an 11-point lead, 80-69, with 4:20 remaining in its win over John Carroll. The Cardinals trailed John Carroll just three times in the game, the last, 37-35, coming with 2:52 to play in the first half.

Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead four Otterbein players scoring in double-digits against John Carroll. The senior also collected five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Karli Volkmer, a sophomore guard from Galion (Colonel Crawford High School), added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with a career-high five assists. Anna Gamble, a senior forward from Pickerington (North), chipped in 13 points, four rebounds and a career-high seven assists. Otterbein’s leading scorer, Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), scored 15.

In Marietta, Ohio Northern scored the first seven points, opening the game with a 13-2 run and never trailed in its win over the Pioneers last Saturday. The Polar Bears shot 68.8 percent from the field, making 33 of 48 field-goal attempts.

The Pioneers, under first-year head coach Jill Meiring, were led by Justine Pagenhardt, a senior guard from Oakland, Md. (Southern Garrett), who scored 17 in the loss. Amanda Carraher, a junior guard from Hilliard (Davidson), added 12 points.

Marietta entered its game with Ohio Northern off back-to-back home wins over New Jersey City, 49-43, Nov. 25 and Bethany, 74-63, Nov. 28.

Coming into the week, Otterbein’s Roth ranked second in the OAC in scoring, averaging 17.8 points a game; and sat sixth in assists (3.7 a game), third in steals (2.8 a game) and fourth in 3-pointers (2.0 per game). Miller held down the third spot in rebounding, averaging 9.2 an outing, while Sara Fee ranked sixth in field-goal percentage at .568.

Otterbein won both meetings with Marietta last season, winning at home, 90-53, and on the road, 81-27.

Cards Host John Carroll in Home and OAC Opener
Written Nov. 29, 2007 by Ed Syguda

WESTERVILLE, OHIO—Otterbein, playing its first five games on the road, returns to the friendly confines of the Rike Center for its home and Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener, taking on the Blue Streaks of John Carroll University. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday.

“We’re excited to get into OAC play,” said head coach Connie Richardson, who is in her 17th season at Otterbein. “Up to this point, we have played to get prepared for the tough OAC stretch ahead of us.”

The Cardinals, 2-3 overall, come into the game off a 66-42 win at Peace College Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C. Laura Roth, a junior guard from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), led the way with 17 points, four assists and four steals. Katy Miller, a sophomore forward from Delaware (Hayes), tallied her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Otterbein played to a split decision last weekend at the Methodist College Tournament, defeating Ferrum, 77-72, in the opening round last Saturday and losing to host Methodist, 58-57, Sunday in Fayetteville, N.C. Roth collected 45 points, eight assists and 10 steals over two games to earn OAC "player of the week" honors.

“Our play so far has been spotty and inconsistent,” Richardson said. “Our bench must become a bigger factor in our game. If we get that, we have the potential to play at the level I think we are capable of playing.

“I also think playing on the road early in the season will help us down the road when we have a stretch of road games in January,” Richardson continued. “It is a great experience to learn to play away from home court and makes it even more special when we do get back home.”

John Carroll, 2-2 overall, heads into the game off a 79-64 loss to Washington & Jefferson Wednesday in its home opener in University Heights. Washington & Jefferson started the game red hot, hitting eight of their first 10 shots to build a 21-8 lead with 12:40 remaining in the first half.

The Blue Streaks, under ninth-year head coach Kristie Maravalli, were led by Rachael Price, a junior guard from Johnstown, Pa. (Bishop McCourt), who scored 12 points in the loss. Laura Gruber, a sophomore forward from Minster, came off the bench to chip in eight points and eight rebounds.

At midweek, Otterbein’s Roth ranked third in the OAC in scoring, averaging 18.4 points a game; and sat fifth in assists (4.0 a game), second in steals (3.4 a game) and fourth in 3-pointers (2.2 per game). Miller held down the third spot in rebounding, averaging 9.8 an outing, while Sara Fee, a senior guard from Bryan, ranked fifth in field-goal percentage at .500.

John Carroll’s Caitlin Sureck, a sophomore forward from Medina (Walsh Jesuit), ranked second in the OAC in both rebounding (10.0 a game) and blocks (1.8 per game). Price sat third in steals (3.0 a game).

Roth collected 45 points, eight assists and 10 steals over two games at the Methodist Tournament held Saturday and Sunday in Fayetteville, N.C.

She scored 26 points along with six assists and a career-high seven steals in a 77-72 win over Ferrum (VA) Saturday, and added 19 points in a 58-57 loss to host Methodist Sunday. Roth was named to the all-tournament team.

Cards Set to Play in Methodist (VA) Tourney
Written Nov. 19, 2007 by Don Middleton

WESTERVILLE, OHIO―The Otterbein women’s basketball team will travel to Fayetteville, N.C., this weekend to play in the Methodist Tournament, hosted by Methodist University.

The Cards are coming off an 0-2 showing in the UAA-OAC Challenge with losses to Carnegie Mellon, 77-73, and Case Western Reserve, 69-57, last weekend.

2006-07 OAC freshman of the year Katy Miller (Delaware/Hayes) returned where she left off a season ago, averaging a double-double with 12 points and 13.5 rebounds over the two games at Carnegie Mellon. Guard Laura Roth, a junior from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), is leading the team in scoring, averaging 15 points a game, which includes a 23-point effort in the team’s season opener against Carnegie Mellon.

The Cards will hit the floor Saturday against Ferrum (VA) to take on the Panthers at 6 p.m. Otterbein will then conclude tournament action against host Methodist on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The team’s first home game is Dec. 1 against Ohio Athletic Conference opponent John Carroll.

Starters Earn All-OAC Honors
Written Mar. 1, 2007 by Jason Miller

WESTERVILLE, OHIO--All five starters on the Otterbein College women’s basketball team were named All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), the OAC released Wednesday.

Guard Laura Roth, a sophomore from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy High School), earned first team All-OAC honors. Roth started all 26 games at point guard and led the conference in steals (3.1 per game) and is ranked fifth in NCAA Division III in three-point field-goal percentage (.452). She was also second in the league in assists (5.2 per contest) and fourth in scoring (15.6 ppg). Roth scored 10 or more points in 23 games.

Guard/forward Sarah Esterkamp, a sophomore from Cincinnati (McAuley), was named second team All-OAC. Esterkamp led the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and was second in scoring (13.1 ppg) and blocked shots (12). She was fifth in the OAC in field-goal percentage (.525) and scored in double-digits in 14 games.

Guard Sara Fee, a junior from Bryan, guard Ana Gamble, a junior from Pickerington (North), and forward Katy Miller, a freshman from Delaware (Hayes), were named honorable mention All-OAC.

Fee ranked third in the league in steals (2.2 per contest) and fifth in free-throw percentage (.777). She led the team in blocked shots (14), ranked second in steals and assists (2.6 per game), third in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and fourth in scoring (11.7 ppg). Fee scored double-digits 18 times.

Gamble ranked second on the team in blocked shots (12) and third in scoring (12.0 ppg). She was fifth in the conference in three-point field-goal percentage (.373) and scored 10 or more points in 19 games.

Miller was also named Freshman of the Year, starting all 26 games. She averaged 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

WESTERVILLE, OHIO--Forward Katy Miller, a freshman from Delaware (Rutherford B. Hayes High School), was named Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Freshman of the Year, the OAC released today.

Miller started all 26 games for the Cardinals and ranked second on the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and fifth in scoring (11.4 ppg). In addition, Miller tallied 47 assists and 11 blocked shots.

Miller scored 10 or more points in 15 games. She tallied 26 points in an overtime loss to Wilmington and 13 rebounds in a win against Marietta, both career highs.

“To travel anywhere in the conference is tough and that is a mental block we are going to try and overcome this week,” said head coach Connie Richardson.

The winner of the game will advance to play the winner of top-seeded Wilmington (21-4, 15-3 OAC) and eighth-seeded Muskingum (8-17, 6-12 OAC).

The Cardinals, under 16th-year head coach Connie Richardson, finished the regular season 14-11 overall and 10-8 in the OAC after falling to Capital, 80-77, Saturday in Bexley. Forward Sarah Esterkamp, a sophomore from Cincinnati (McAuley High School), notched her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Guard Ana Gamble, a junior from Pickerington (North), and guard Sara Fee, a junior from Bryan, scored 14 and 13, respectively. Guard Laura Roth, a sophomore from Cincinnati (Mother of Mercy), tallied 12 points and guard Britni Lakas, a junior from Charleston, WV (Mason), netted 11.

Ohio Northern, under sixth-year head coach Michele Durand, enters the matchup 16-9 overall and 11-7 in conference play following a 69-61 loss to Mount Union Saturday in Alliance.

Center Erin Brand, a junior from Yorkshire (Marion Local), scored a game-high 27, while forward Danielle Andreasen, a senior from Wadsworth, notched 18 points and guard Alisha Rinehart, a sophomore from Lima (Perry), recorded 12 points.

Offensively, Ohio Northern is averaging 65.2 points while allowing 58.6 points per game. Otterbein is scoring 80.7 points per contest, which leads the OAC, and is giving up 74.4 points.

Otterbein and Ohio Northern split the two meetings this year with each team winning at home. Otterbein won 65-60 in Westerville and Ohio Northern captured a 70-61 victory in Ada.

“We are preparing to play this week in regards to being tougher mentally, eliminating the small mistakes we are making and understanding what each game represents,” Richardson said.