No. 20 Women's Basketball wins double overtime thriller at Otterbein 75-70

By Brandt Marshall

WESTERVILLE — The No. 20-ranked Ohio Northern women's basketball team extended its winning streak to eight games with a 75-70 double overtime victory over Otterbein on Wednesday night at the Rike Center.

The Polar Bears improve to 11-1 overall and 5-0 in OAC play, while the Cardinals fall to 6-6 and 2-3 in OAC action.

Senior Brynn Serbin (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) filled up the stat sheet wih 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and six steals. Her two assists move her into a tie for eighth place all-time with 214 in her career.

Junior Kristen Luersman (Fort Jennings) added 19 points and 13 rebounds for her fifth career double-double. Sophomore Brooke Allen (Woodville/Woodmore) scored 15 points to round out the trio of Polar Bears in double figures.  

Olivia Majors led Otterbein with 19 points, and Kathleen DeCarlo posted an 18-point, 16-rebound double-double.

OU scored the first basket of the game, but Northern responded with a 9-0 run capped by a Serbin jumper. Northern led 15-7 at the end of the first quarter. 

ONU extended its lead in the second quarter behind six points from Luersman and six different Polar Bears finding the bottom of the net. DeCarlo scored seven of her 18 points in the second frame, and the visitors led 38-24 at the break.

Otterbein came out of the break and made 8 of 12 field goals in the third quarter behind eight points from Majors and cut the Polar Bear lead to seven at 49-42.

The Cardinals continued to trim the Polar Bear lead throughout the fourth quarter, taking a 56-54 lead with 1:16 remaining, but a Luersman layup tied the score at 56 with 32 seconds left to force overtime.

Northern jumped out to a four-point lead to start the first overtime, but the hosts roared back to tie it at 62 with seven seconds left to force a second overtime.

In the second overtime, the teams traded baskets before ONU used a 9-0 run to take a 74-67 lead it would not relinquish. Majors made a triple to cut the lead to 74-70 with 19 seconds left, but sophomore Abi Akamine (Lahaina, Hawaii/Lahainaluna) split a pair of free throws to give Northern a 75-70 advantage with seven seconds left in the contest. 

Ohio Northern made 27-of-71 field goals for 38% and was 4-of-19 from 3-point range for 21.1%, while Otterbein made 28-of-73 field goals for 38.4% and was 6-of-22 from beyond the arc for 27.3%.

ONU was 17-of-25 from the free-throw line for 68%, and Otterbein was 8-of-11 for 72.7%.

Northern out-rebounded the Cardinals by a 44-38 margin.

The Polar Bears return to action on Saturday at John Carroll for a 4 p.m. tip as part of a men's-women's doubleheader.