Quick Synopsis 
After trailing by as many as 19 in the first half, the Heidelberg University men's basketball team rallied back in the second half.  Despite regaining the lead for a brief spell, the Student Princes ultimately fell to No. 2 Mount Union, 67-61. 

Three Standouts 

• Nakhi Taylor had 11 points -- including the 3-pointer that gave HU it's only lead of the game -- and nine rebounds.  His defensive pressure played a big role in the second-half comeback.  
   
• Dylan Woods scored 20 points on Saturday, less than 24 hours after going off for 38 points in Alliance.  
   
• Off the bench, Eric Panning played a key role.  With Seth Hohman in foul trouble, the freshman had nine rebounds -- four of which came on the offensive end.  

Full Recap
Mount Union got things started quickly with a 17-3 run over the home squad through the opening four minutes of competition. The Purple Raiders shot 3-3 from 3-point range and contested Heidelberg's shots to deflate the offense of the Student Princes. 

Heidelberg managed to spark some offense with a pair of 3-pointers from Hohman and Woods to bring the score to 18-10 with 12 minutes remaining in the half. 

Despite the modest run by HU, the Purple Raiders pulled out further with a 12-2 run.   The Purple Raiders 3-point accuracy proved to be a major factor of the half, making 8-14 shots from behind the arc as opposed to 4-12 for Heidelberg. 
Mount led 46-28 at halftime.  

Heidelberg played inspired basketball to start the second half.  A combination of rebounding and defensive stops led to a 7-0 run for the Student Princes in the opening minutes of the half. Taylor scored five of the points on the run which included a corner 3-pointer assisted by Woods. 

Mount Union withstood the early onslaught and reinflated their lead to 16 with 14:41 left.  

A three-point play by Woods on the next possession kick-started a 20-2 run over a span of 6:27 that started with HU down 16 and ended with a 3-pointer by Taylor from the left side that put the Student Princes up 57-55 with 8:14 left.   Woods, a senior from Cincinnati, had 13 points in the six minute stretch. During that run Mount Union turned the ball over six times.  

After Heidelberg took the lead, Collen Gurley hit a 3-pointer in transition and got the lead back for his team -- one that Mount Union would not relinquish.  

Down 64-61 with under a minute, defensive pressure in the backcourt by Heidelberg forced Mount into a 10-second violation. After a timeout, Heidelberg turned the ball over without being able to get a shot off.  During the remainder of the game, Mount made enough free throws to keep HU at bay.  

In the end, shooting percentage proved to be the difference on Saturday.  Mount Union was 25-60 (41.7%) from the field while Heidelberg was 21-67 (31.3%).  

Three Takeaways 

• The two teams entered the weekend at 5-0, with Mount Union ranked second in the nation and HU receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 15.  Each team walked away with a six-point win on the road.  The games definitely lived up the hype.
   
• Heidelberg's unbeaten streak ended at six games -- its best stretch to start a season since the 1983-84 team won its first nine contests.  
   
• Four games remain in the strange 2021 regular season.  Heidelberg (6-1), Mount Union (6-1) and Marietta (5-1) all sit atop the OAC standings and are the only teams over .500.  The Pioneers and the Purple Raiders are scheduled to meet next weekend while Heidelberg battles Baldwin Wallace (2-6).  HU will host the Yellow Jackets on Friday and travel to Berea on Saturday.