BEREA, Ohio – Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team won its season-high fifth straight game with a 91-74 Ohio Athletic Conference victory over Otterbein University at the Lou Higgins Center, inside Ursprung Gymnasium.
BW (9-4, 3-3 OAC) had four players score in double-figures led by Drew Sova (Chagrin Falls/Kenston), who secured a game and career-high 23 points off a perfect day from the field, 10 of 10, while grabbing a team-high tying seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Luke Schaefer (Medina) earned a career-high 15 points, while grabbing seven boards and two assists. Senior two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC point guard Jay Battle (Gahanna/ Lincoln) contributed 14 points while junior Academic All-OAC guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick) tallied 13.
Otterbein (4-9, 1-5 OAC) had three players score in double-figures led by Jay Joseph with a double-double as he recorded 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
In the first two minutes and twenty-five seconds, the Cardinals swished two threes and two layups to take an early 10-2 lead, forcing head coach Tom Heil to take a timeout. The Yellow Jackets battled back and trimmed the lead to 20-15, after a Battle trey at the 11:04 mark. The deficit remained the same for BW as they trailed 26-21, with six minutes left in the frame. BW cut the lead to three off a Battle fadeaway, and tied the game at 32-32 with a Quiring three in transition. The Yellow Jackets claimed their second lead of the half with a Sova layup, bringing the score to 34-32 at the 2:33 mark. The lead changed hands three times before the end of the half, and the Cardinals went into the locker room with a 38-36 advantage.
The Yellow Jackets tied the game at 38 after a Kyle Nader (Vermilion) steal and assist to junior forward Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic)for the fast break layup. BW went on a seven to two run, capped off by a corner three from Schaefer, marking a career-high for the sophomore guard. Up 45-40 at the 17:33 mark, the teams traded points for the next minutes and Sova would break his career-high at the 15:01 mark after a layup in the post, bringing the score to 54-50. BW controlled the lead and extended it to 76-65 after a 26-15 run, forcing Otterbein to take a timeout at 7:56. The Yellow Jackets closed the half out on a 15-9 run and came out with a 91-74 conference victory.
BW will be back in action on Wednesday, January 9 with another OAC matchup against Ohio Northern University at 7 p.m.
