(ADA, Ohio) - After a back and forth first half, the Polar Bears pulled away against the Quakers late in the second half as Ohio Northern defeated Wilmington 88-69 in the first round of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) tournament.  

After a scoreless start, Elijah Cathey's sank a fadeaway for the game's first score. Wilmington's defense locked down the Polar Bears in the opening four minutes as a Ben Golan layup put Wilmington ahead 4-0 with 15:44 remaining. Ohio Northern responded with a 6-0 run to take the lead, prompting a timeout by the Quakers.  

Elijah Cathey converted two free throws out of the break to knot each team at 6-6. Matt DeBrosse cashed in a deep three and a jumper, while Gabe Green completed an and-one opportunity to give Wilmington a 14-13 edge with 11:43 to go.  

A steal by Izaiah Cathey led to a Jed Smith three, putting the Quakers ahead 23-20. The pair continued trading baskets, until a double technical was issued against the hosts and Jed Smith in the 5:53 mark. Ohio Northern went on another 6-0 run, forcing a timeout as the Quakers trailed 33-30 with under four minutes to go. DeBrosse sank the final shot of the first half, as the Polar Bears led 42-40 going into halftime.  

Wilmington retook the lead 45-44 on a Ben Golan layup, holding Ohio Northern to two points in the first four minutes of the half. A DeBrosse step-back three and a Carson Miles layup gave Wilmington a 50-47 edge. Ohio Northern regained the lead 56-55 after an and-one with 11:56 remaining, but a strong block by Gabe Green and Domenic Farley's fadeaway tied the score 58-58. 

With a 63-58 advantage, the Polar Bears claimed the largest lead in the contest, forcing a timeout by the Quakers. Ohio Northern's 14-5 run put Wilmington down by eight with under five minutes left while the Quakers' offense fell quiet. Farley cut the deficit to seven following Golan's block and Elijah Cathey added two free throws to make it 72-67 with 3:34 to go. A technical foul against DeBrosse sparked a late surge as Ohio Northern closed on a 14-0 run, sealing an 88-69 victory for the Polar Bears.  

Notables 

• Domenic Farley scored 23 points, tying the game high. He shot 7-14 from the field and 9-13 from the charity stripe. 

• Elijah Cathey scored 17 points, grabbing four boards, one assist, and leading the Quakers with three blocks. 

• MattDeBrosse added 13 points, going 2-4 from beyond the arc. He had three rebounds and one steal. 

• Ben Golan led Wilmington with six rebounds. He scored five points with two blocks and a steal.  

• The Quakers finished 19-26 from the free throw line, while the Polar Bears went 24-36.  

• This is Wilmington's first loss to Ohio Northern in the OAC Tournament. The pair last met in the 2012-13 OAC Tournament, with No. 3 Wilmington defeating No. 6 Ohio Northern 92-61 at Hermann Court. 

The Quakers season concludes with their first OAC tournament appearance since 2021-22, and their best overall record and conference record since 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively.