BKC Final: WC men 78, Otterbein 72

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WESTERVILLE — The Wilmington College men’s basketball team rallied from an 11-point deficit late in the first half to defeat Otterbein University 78-72 in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest Wednesday from the Rike Center.

Wilmington utilized a balanced scoring attack as five Quakers – Izaiah Cathey, Bryce Bird, Abdul Kanu, Gavin Heimlich and Matthew Dugue – all scored between 11-16 points with Cathey’s 16 on 7-of-8 shooting leading the way. Kanu finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while Heimlich had 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Wilmington (8-16, 4-13 OAC) will close out its 2022-23 season by hosting nationally-ranked John Carroll Saturday. Tip-off for the Senior Day contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 16-7 lead less than four minutes into game, but the Quakers stayed the course. After an Kanu jumper, Collin Barker and Heimlich scored on three-pointer baskets to pull WC within 25-20.

Otterbein had its largest lead of the night at 33-22 but Wilmington trailed 43-39 at halftime. Bryce Bird stole a pass and hit a three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left in the half.

Wilmington flipped the script in the second half scoring 16 of the first 22 points of the half. A Domenic Farley jumper made it 55-49. The Cardinals would get as close as a point. In the end, two Heimlich free throws sealed the win.

“I love coaching this group, not just on the good days, but all the days,” WC head coach Micah Mills said. “Tonight, our team showed how resilient they are, how coachable they are and how bought in they are to what we are trying to build. I couldn’t be more proud.”

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