Jaidyn Hale scores career-high 22 points as Women's Basketball falls at Otterbein 65-60
By Andrew Loewe
WESTERVILLE — Senior Jaidyn Hale (Lima/Bath) scored a career-high 22 points as the Ohio Northern women's basketball was defeated 65-60 at Otterbein at the Rike Center Wednesday afternoon.
With the loss, the Polar Bears fall to 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the OAC while the Cardinals improve to 14-5, 8-4.
Senior Annie Weckesser added nine points off the bench.
Senior Alissa Stahler (Lima/Shawnee) and junior Brynn Serbin (Pitttsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) lead ONU with six rebounds apiece.
Angelina Jackson and Kathleen DeCarlo led Otterbein in scoring with 14 points each.
Ohio Northern closed the Otterbein lead to 51-48 with 5:18 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Otterbein then forced three stops against the Polar Bear offense and made three consecutive baskets to lengthen the lead to 57-48 with 2:23 remaining.
ONU fought back with a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 57-51 with 1:17 to go in the game.
The Polar Bears scored nine points in the final minute on a 3-pointer by Weckesser and two 3-pointers by Hale, with one as the buzzer sounded, but the Cardinals' lead never shrank below five as they sealed the victory.
Ohio Northern made 24-of-57 field goals for 42.1% and was 5-of-18 from 3-point range for 27.8%, while the Otterbein made 23-of-54 field goals for 42.6% and were 5-of-16 from beyond the arc for 31.3%.
The Cardinals won the rebound battle 29-27.
The Polar Bears will return home to the ONU Sports Center on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip against Capital in part of an OAC women's-men's doubleheader.