January 27, 2000

'Berg misses chance to close gap on Otterbein

By Dave Feltner
Sports Editor

Six points in two seconds. Sounds impossible doesn't it?

Otterbein did a lot things against Heidelberg that defied conventional wisdom, but the six points in two seconds took the cake.

That little stretch, from the 2:10 mark of the second half to the 2:08 mark, turned a three-point game into a nine-point Cardinal cushion.

It was quite the springboard to Otterbein's 93-83 win over The 'Berg at Seiberling Gymnasium. The Cardinals (12-5 overall) stay on top of the Ohio Athletic Conference with an 8-2 record, while Heidelberg (10-8, 5-5) missed a golden chance to close the gap on the front-runners.

"We lost the game in that little stretch," Heidelberg coach John Hill said. "They hit a shot, miss a free throw, make the shot, miss a free throw and make another shot, all when it's a three-point game.

"We were happy with what we did offensively. But defensively they really hurt us," he said. "We pressed. They attacked, and they hurt us. We just made too many little mistakes that gave them easy shots."

The Cardinals had answers for everything 'Berg threw at them, but the biggest blow came with 2:10 remaining in the game.

Otterbein's lead hovered between five and seven points the entire second half until Jon Otterbacher's drive to the hoop with 2:33 left shaved the deficit to 78-75.

But back at the other end, Otterbein's Jeff Gibbs put back a Jason Dutcher miss and was fouled. Gibbs, who totaled 25 points and 13 rebounds, missed the freebie, but Dutcher (16 points, 13 boards) tipped in the miss and drew a foul.

Dutcher, too, couldn't connect at the line, but Chad Dresbach grabbed the board and banked in the putback. And just like that, six points in two seconds.

"Chad Dresbach tipping in that (missed) free throw was a big factor in the game," Otterbein coach Dick Reynolds said. "It gave us just enough cushion.

"This was a big win for us. I think our conference speaks for itself," he said. "If we lose tonight, it changes everything. Because the conference is so competitive, everybody is in the same boat. You have to win every time out."

Sometimes it takes a near-perfect performance, like the one the Cards offered against Heidelberg. Otterbein was equally adept from the outside as the inside.

The combined 41 points and 26 rebounds from Gibbs and Dutcher complemented the outside shooting of Pat Noles and Scott Elliott. Noles was 4-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc and Elliott 2-of-3.

The Cardinals shot 58 percent (35-of-60) from the field, turned the ball over just 10 times and outrebounded The 'Berg, 35-31.

Heidelberg was near the offensive equal. Berg turned it over just seven times, two in the second half, shot 49 percent (34-of-69) from the field and had two players break the 20-point barrier.

Nate Walters highlighted a 20-point effort by scoring his 1,000th career point. The magic bucket came, fittingly enough for Walters, on a 3-pointer with 8:33 left in the first half.

Kory Winkler had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Heidelberg, while Otterbacher (19) and Ryan Szepiela (15) also scored in double figures.

"Offense wasn't a problem for us, but defensively we had to find a way to stop them, and we didn't," Hill said. "That was the key to the game. They have two guys that play tough in the post, and at times they had three guys in the lineup that can shoot from the perimeter. So we really had nobody to help up top."

Otterbein had six players score in double figures. Noles finished with 19 points, Elliott had 12, Kevin Shay 11 and Dresbach 10.