TIFFIN – It was a story of two halves for the Heidelberg University men's basketball team on Saturday, December 6th against Muskingum. The Muskies and Student Princes went back and forth in the first period with Muskingum holding a one point lead at the break. Heidelberg came out on fire in the second half both on offense and defense and ran away for a 94-67 victory.

THREE STARS

Freshman Kiere' Bennie led the Student Princes with 23 points in the win, rebounding from a 4-point performance against John Carroll. He shot 6-of-7 from the field, including a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc.

Marcquice Taylor was second in scoring with 18 points, going 4-of-8 from behind the arc. He also dished out a team-high three assists.

Senior Jackson Blue scored 10 points in the game while recording a team-high five steals.

KEY STATS

Heidelberg (3-2, 1-1 OAC) shot 53.7% from the field and 55.6% behind the arc in the second half as they went on a big run to pull away from Muskingum (2-5, 0-2 OAC).

The Student Princes forced the Muskies into 31 turnovers, including 18 in the second half where their defensive pressure rattled the visitors.

The Berg turned the ball over just two times in the second half, allowing them to settle into an offensive rhythm.

FIRST HALF

Muskingum got off to a hot start in the game, taking a 15-6 lead at the 12:02 mark after a 3-pointer by Logan Kimble.

Heidelberg responded with a run of their own, scoring 13 straight points to take a 19-15 lead with 8:57 remaining.

A 3-pointer by Taylor with 4:52 remaining gave the Berg a 28-25 edge.

The Muskies battled back and took a one point lead entering halftime thanks to a pair of baskets with under a minute remaining.

SECOND HALF

Muskingum built up a six point lead after a layup by Cody Seiler with 14:55 left to play.

The Student Princes rattled off 13 straight points to take a 53-46 lead after Shane Lee knocked down a layup at the 11:09 mark.

Heidelberg built their lead to 15 at the 8:07 mark after Ben Jones made a free throw to convert a 3-point play.

After Muskingum cut the lead to nine, Bennie knocked down a 3-pointer on three consecutive posessions to give the Berg a 79-62 lead at the 3:37 mark.

From that point on, Heidelberg was able to put the game away with free throws and ball possession, pulling away for the 94-67 win.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

The 31 turnovers by Muskingum was nine more than they have had in any game so far in this season.

The 20 steals by Heidelberg is just two shy of the school record, which was set earlier this year against Westminster.

NOTABLE QUOTES

Head coach Andy Bucheit on the victory: "Great win for our guys. Our coaching staff really challenged our players in practice these last two days. We took a 30-point beating on Wednesday night, and for our team to be resilient, stick together, and come back for a 27-point win tonight...we are really, really proud."

Bucheit on the turnaround in the 2nd half: "I told these guys at halftime...we play two different styles of basketball...we made a lot better decisions in the second half, which resulted in just two turnovers...and we shot it a lot better in the 2nd half."

Kiere Bennie on the 2nd half: "We didn't make very many adjustments, we just knew we had to limit our turnovers, and we did just that."

Bennie on his big day offensively: "All the credit has to go to my teammates, finding me in the right spots at the right time. My teammates trusted me and believed in me and got me the ball...and I was able to knock them down."

UP NEXT

Heidelberg will be off during the week before hosting Marietta on Saturday, December 13. That OAC contest is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 p.m. in Seiberling Gymnasium.