WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Wittenberg Tigers nearly clawed all the way back from a double-digit second-half deficit before finally falling to Otterbein 62-59 in the first game of Washington & Jefferson's Hyatt Place Pittsburgh South Women's Basketball Tournament.

The loss was the Tigers' second in a row against an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opponent to start the 2015-16 season. Wittenberg will play in the tournament's consolation game at 1 p.m. Saturday against either Pitt-Greensburg or the host Presidents.

Otterbein led the entire game, but the Cardinals never could pull away. Wittenberg's largest deficit was 12 points, which came after a 10-point Otterbein run that covered just 1:48 of clock time early in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 59-48 after an Otterbein three-pointer with 5:02 remaining, the Tigers chipped away at the lead until junior Riley McDonald (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) stepped to the line with 10 seconds left. She converted her first free throw, but the second was off the mark and Otterbein responded with two free throws at the other end, forcing a three-pointer with one second remaining that was off the mark.

McDonald stuffed the final stats sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead Wittenberg. The offense got a boost from sophomore Becca Ziska (Brook Park, Ohio/Berea-Midpark) with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a 5-of-10 performance from three-point range.

Wittenberg also got a boost off the bench from freshman Sidney Mayle (Powell, Ohio/Watterson) with a career-high 13 points to go along with five rebounds. Also of note was the play of junior Michelle Brunswick (Middletown, Ohio/Madison), who scored four points and grabbed six rebounds in 21 minutes of action, her first since joining the team at the conclusion of soccer season.

Written By: Ryan Maurer