Trinity (3-1) trailed 43-46 at the half, despite leading most of the first period. The Tigers pulled ahead 21-10 with just over 12 minutes to go, but Otterbein put together a 13-4 run over the next four minutes to cut the lead to just two. The Cardinals led by as many as five in the first half, but held a lead for only around four total minutes.
In the second half, Trinity regained the lead early with two straight buckets, but could not get a lead bigger than four points in the early going. The teams were locked in a tight game for much of the second half, but after the game was tied for the ninth time (69-69), Otterbein took control with a 10-3 run. The Tigers cut the lead to just three (82-85) with 2:41 to play, but the Cardinals went on a 14-5 run to close the game and take the win.
Ross Burt continued his hot scoring streak with 26 points on 8-11 shooting on Friday. Burt hit 2-3 from distance and 8-9 from the foul line, as well as grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Andy Bates hit 8-15 shots for 21 points, while Brandon York knocked down 6-10 from the field for a season-best 19 points. Bates also led the team with six rebounds and three assists.
The loss came for the Tigers, despite shooting 56.6% from the field. The Cardinals, though, hit 60.7% from the field - including a blistering 67.9% (19-28) in the decisive second half. Otterbein also hit 12-20 three-point shots, compared to just 6-19 for the Tigers.
Trinity will face California Institute of Technology at 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening to finish the weekend tournament.