BEREA, OHIO -- Senior center Andrew Bene (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed a game-high-tying 10 rebounds as the Baldwin-Wallace College men's basketball team defeated Otterbein College, 84-64, tonight (Wednesday, January 7, 2009) in an Ohio Athletic Conference game in the Rike Center in Westerville.
Bene's 19 points and 10 rebounds marked his seventh double-double of the season. In addition to Bene for B-W, junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference forward Kyle Brown (Strongsville) scored 14 points, junior guardLouis Tumblin (Elyria/ Senior) scored 12, freshman point guard Promis Cabbil (Elyria/ Senior) had 11 and sophomore point guard Jake Cayton (Magnolia/ Sandy Valley) totaled 10. Otterbein was led by junior guard Brian Pollock, the OAC's leasding scorer at 20.0 points-per-game, with a game-high 20 points and freshman guard Brice Rausch had 15 points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds.
With its win, B-W improves to 5-7 overall and 1-4 in the OAC and has won three consecutive games. With its loss, Otterbein is now 3-10 overall and 1-5 in the OAC.
In the first half, B-W opened with a 2-0 lead at the 18:16 mark when Cabbil made a layup. The Cardinals then went on a 5-0 run to take a 5-2 at the 16:44 mark when freshman guard Brice Rausch made a jump shot. B-W then went on a 16-1 run to take a 12-point lead at 18-6 with 13:24 left when Brown made his second straight three-pointer.
B-W had an 11-point lead at 22-11 with 10:06 left when Cayton made a jump shot. Otterbein then outscored B-W 8-2 to close within 24-19 with 6:53 left when sophomore forward Alan Kavanaugh made a three-pointer. B-W then outscored the Cardinals 13-5 to build its lead to 13 points at 37-24 with 2:38 remaining when junior guard Paul Glass (Medina/ Senior) made a jumper. B-W extended its lead to 41-27 with :10.5 left before the intermission when Bene grabbed an offensive rebound and scored.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 17 points at 55-38 with 15:00 left when Cabbil hit a three-pointer. Otterbein then went on a 9-0 run to close within 55-47 with 11:47 left when junior guard Kyle Molz made a three-pointer.
B-W put the game away with a 16-2 run to lead by 22 points at 71-49 with 6:14 left when Bene made two free throws. After five 22-point leads, Cayton canned a three-pointer to give BW its largest lead of the contest at 25 points at 84-59 with :45.7 left.
Keys to the Yellow Jackets third straight victory included ball control and shooting. The Brown and Gold committed just four turnovers, all of which came in the first half. The Jackets also shot a season-high 50.0 percent (32-of-64) from the field, including 47.1% (eight-of-17) from beyond the arc and connected on 12-of-14 free throws. Otterbein was limited to just 22 field goals on 58 attempts for 37.9%.
The Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday, January 10, 2009 when it hosts Muskingum College in an Ohio Athletic Conference game in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium at 3:00 p.m.
Media and fans are reminded that they can listen to all remaining B-W men's and women's basketball games LIVE on campus radio station WBW, 88.3 FM, and/ or via the WBW Internet web site at www.wBW.com. All home games are on Internet and all away games are both on radio and the Internet.
Media and fans are reminded that two more B-W men's basketball games will be televised by SportsTime Ohio (www.sportstimeohio.com). They this Saturday's game versus Muskingum College and its February 18 contest at cross-town rival John Carroll University at 7:30 p.m.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Coach Duane Sheldon, please call 440-826-2115 or e-mail at dsheldon@bw.edu. You can get all of the latest B-W athletics information by visiting our Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics.
