TIFFIN – The Heidelberg University men's basketball team clinched a spot in the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament with a thrilling 75-71 win over Ohio Northern University on Wednesday.  The Student Princes lost an 11-point second half lead but rallied from a five-point deficit with two minutes left, picking up their third win in four games. 

The win puts Heidelberg at 10-12 overall, 6-9 in the OAC.  Ohio Northern slips to 10-12, 5-10 in conference action. 

THE THREE STARS

Freshman Kiere Bennie scored six of his game-high 18 points in the final 62 seconds of the game.  His athletic steal and layup with less than 20 seconds sealed the win for Heidelberg. 

Junior Marcquice Taylor had 16 points and four rebounds in the win. 

Junior Jackson Blue finished with a career-high 13 rebounds, besting his record of 11 set in November of 2013. 

THE FINAL MINUTE

Down 71-70 with 42 seconds left, Taylor picked up a rebound on a missed free throw by Joey Hurless.  As Taylor crossed midcourt, Heidelberg head coach Andy Bucheit asked for a timeout.  Not having heard the whistle, Taylor continued to drive into the paint after the play.  In the air, Taylor drew a slap from Hurless and a shot near the head from Aron Thress.  Thress was assessed a technical foul for the dangerous nature of the hit on Taylor. 

Bennie took – and made – both technical free throws.  Heidelberg held a 72-71 lead with 32 seconds left and the shot clock off. 

With a foul to give, ONU fouled quickly and forced the Tricolor into another inbound play.  The second time, Heidelberg got the ball into Bennie who split a pair of defenders and crossed midcourt.  The ball swung into the hands of Doug Waldmannstetter, who was quickly fouled.  The senior sank the first free throw, but the second rattled out and ONU corralled the board. 

Out of a timeout with 18.6 seconds left, ONU's inbound pass intended for Isaiah Roux was deftly tipped away by Bennie, who jetted down the court and had enough control of his momentum to sink a layup.  The steal and score put Heidelberg up 75-71 with 14 seconds left.

ONU was forced into a pair of off-balanced desperation 3-point attempts as the final seconds ticked away. 

THE FIRST 39 MINUTES

The Student Princes opened on a 10-3 run, prompting a timeout from ONU coach Kevin Byrne.  After the stoppage, the Polar Bears responded with an 8-0 to take the lead.  Undeterred, Heidelberg's second unit went on a 10-2 run, giving HU a 20-13 lead. 

From there, the Student Princes maintained a comfortable lead through the period.  HU shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the period and forced ONU into nine turnovers.   Heidelberg's 44-34 could have been greater, but the Tricolor struggled to score around the basket. 

Heidelberg held their 10-point edge through the first eight minutes of the second half.  Down 55-45, Ohio Northern stormed back with a 19-4 run – capped by a 3-pointer by Devon Allen -- to take a 61-57 lead.  During the 6.5 minute stretch, the Student Princes missed six shots around the hoop and three 3-pointers. 

With two minutes left, a Lucas Pennington layup put ONU up 71-66.  After that, Heidelberg took over. 

James Hanley drove to the basket and drew a Thress foul.  At the line, Hanley hit the pair and Heidelberg called timeout. 

Because of the Heidelberg press, the Polar Bears struggled to get the ball into the forecourt.  After a timeout and a kicked ball, they got the ball across the timeline, but Joey Hurless missed a contested layup.  The ball caromed into the hands of ONU's Jordan Martin on the baseline, but Martin turned it over on a pass back out top. 

With the ball in his hands, Blue dished to Bennie who raced down the court and layed it in with 1:02, which cut the ONU lead to 71-70 and set up a frantic final minute. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Heidelberg was +11 in both turnovers and offensive rebounds, which led to 19 points off turnovers and 13 second chance points. 

DeAvery Collins was the only other Student Prince in double figures.  Collins had 10 points. 

ONU's primary ball-handler Joey Hurless was forced into eight turnovers.  It tied the most by an individual opponent.  Marietta's Keith Richardson had eight in the first game against the Pioneers. 

Heidelberg shot 34.2% from the floor, compared to 52.9% for the Polar Bears.

QUOTES

Marcquice Taylor on the team's mentality as ONU made their second half run: "We had that little lapse when we couldn't score and it affected our defense.  I feel like we started giving up easier looks and getting discouraged and frustrated because we were missing shots, but we stayed positive and kept telling ourselves we were going to win, and we did."

Taylor on the play that drew the technical foul: "I saw the lane, I didn't even hear the whistle.  Afterwards I heard that they blew the whistle.  I saw that nobody was behind my defender and I felt like I could beat him, and when I went I up, he elbowed me in my face."

Kiere Bennie on the steal and score: "I pretty much knew it was going to be in #2's hands because they needed a quick bucket.  When he set the corner screen for the guy on the block and he cut up top, I knew they were going to throw it to him and I just anticipated the passing lane."

Head coach Andy Bucheit on the final minute of play: "The way we play -- pressure for 40 minutes -- took its toll on them at the end.  They had their lead, and our constant pressure wore them down  and we were able to make plays off of turnovers and steals, and that gave us the lead and gave us the ball back."

Bucheit on the development of Bennie: "Kiere is a one-in-a-million talent at our level …  There are not a whole lot of guys in our league or around the country that look like he does and can play like he does … If he continues to work on his game, which I know he will because he's a hard worker, he can do some special things in this program."

UP NEXT

The Heidelberg men will take to the road for the next contest, facing Mount Union on Saturday, February 14th.  That game is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. tip.  The Purple Raiders are fresh off a 102-92 upset win over #3 Marietta, handing the Pioneers their first loss of the season.  The previous meeting between the Berg and Mount Union ended with a 100-90 win for the Purple Raiders, as the Student Princes were unable to overcome a hot-shooting performance by the visitors.