TIFFIN -- A buzzer-beating tip-in by the Heidelberg University men's basketball team forced overtime with Ohio Northern University. The excitement inside Seiberling Gymnasium was short-lived, however, as the Student Princes could not maintain the momentum in overtime as they fell to ONU, 84-78 on Wednesday evening.

Kiere Bennie led the HU offense with 17 points. Prince Benson and Michael Davis each added 11 points for the Berg. DeAvery Collins chipped in with 10 points.

The Polar Bears moved the ball effectively to jump out to an 18-5 lead within the first five minutes. In that span, ONU had seven assists on their eight baskets. A layup by Andrew Grothouse briefly ended the Polar Bear run.

A deep triple from ONU's Devon Allen followed by a three by Konnor Baker pushed the Ohio Northern lead to 24-7 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.

Heidelberg managed to erase the deficit by closing out the final 6:47 of the half on a 20-4 run.

Benson's jumper and a 3-pointer from the wing by Davis started the HU run. Following a Benson free throw, CJ Marshall intercepted an ONU pass and turned the steal into a layup.

Connor Hutchison followed his own shot after a missed free throw and scored an easy two points for the Berg.

The Student Prince full court press forced Ohio Northern into turnovers, as Marshall stole another pass and found Hutchison for two more HU points.

Grothouse knocked down a three, bringing the Tricolor to within one point. Bennie drained a pair of free throws to tie the game at 29.

Jumpers from Bennie and Mike Mason capped of the Heidelberg run, as they took a 34-32 advantage heading into halftime.

Ohio Northern scored their four points at the foul line during the HU run.

The Polar Bears opened the second half on an 8-0 run, highlighted by threes from Baker and Joey Hurless.

A runner by Davis with just under 14 minutes remaining pushed the HU lead to 50-44.

The six point lead proved to not be enough, as the Polar Bears fought their way back. ONU used a 16-4 run to take a 57-54 lead with 7:48 left. Hurless and Baker led the ONU offense during the run, combining for three 3-pointers.

Ohio Northern extended their lead to 64-56 with under six minutes remaining. Collins answered for the Berg with a triple from the corner. The shot ended a drought of over five minutes without a field goal for the Student Princes.

With under three minutes remaining, Davis knocked down a triple from the corner, cutting the ONU lead to 69-64. The HU defense forced a stop, and on the following possession, Davis hit another three -- cutting the lead to two points and bringing the Seiberling Gymnasium crowd to its feet.

In the waning seconds of the game, Davis' 3-point attempt rattled out. The rebound bounced around before being tipped just before the horn went off by Benson. The tip-in sent the Student Princes into overtime with the score knotted at 69.

A three-point play from Ohio Northern's Ryan Bruns one minute into overtime gave the Polar Bears a 72-69 advantage. Bennie responded for the Student Princes by hitting a triple from the corner -- his first points since the first half.

Baker gave ONU a 77-72 lead midway through the overtime period, draining a wide open 3-pointer.

Trailing by four points, a Bennie triple cut the Polar Bear lead to 79-78 with one minute remaining in overtime.

Ohio Northern sank five free throws in the final 20 seconds of overtime to seal the win.

NOTES & QUOTES

Baker led all scorers with 29 points for the Polar Bears. He went 6-8 from beyond the arc.

HU dominated the glass, outrebounding Ohio Northern 56-39. Grothouse grabbed a career-high nine boards for the Tricolor.

The Student Prince bench outscored ONU 37-17.

Ohio Northern improves to 9-7, 7-2 in conference play. The Berg drops their seventh straight as they slip to 6-10, 2-7 OAC.

With his 17 points, Bennie is now 30 points away from reaching the 1,000 Point Club -- a feat that has not been done since Nate Davis is 2013.

Head coach Andy Bucheit on the play of the second unit: "Those five sophomores (Benson, Grothouse, Marshall, Hutchison and Davis) really stepped up for us tonight ... We rode them down the stretch and they gave us a chance to win."

Bucheit on the overall feeling of the game: "We went toe to toe with the top team in the league ... We came up a little bit short, but I couldn't be prouder of the effort that we gave for 45 minutes."

UP NEXT

The Student Princes will travel to Wilmington College (7-9, 2-7). Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.