TIFFIN – It was an electric afternoon for the Heidelberg University men's basketball team as they continued their trek through the Ohio Athletic Conference.  Playing as a cohesive unit, the Student Princes took down the No. 2 team in the nation, the Mount Union Purple Raiders, in a stunning 82-70 victory.  

After dropping their opener, the Student Princes have reeled off six straight wins and stand 6-1 overall, 2-0 in the OAC.  Mount Union -- the preseason favorite in the conference -- dropped to 5-1, 0-1.  

The victory was Heidelberg's first over a ranked opponent since a 72-67 at Trine last December.  

This contest epitomized 'Berg basketball as an early charge drawn by Emmanuel Perdue set the tone for the rest of the game. The Berg forced a number of early turnovers, which seemed to derail the Purple Raiders' momentum.  

The turnovers translated to the Berg continuing their hot shooting from the huge Baldwin Wallace comeback. Starting off, Jacob Lodgson led with three 3-pointers in a row, energizing the large matinee crowd at Seiberling Gymnasium -- giving the Berg an early 17-7 lead. 

The Purple Raiders continued their best efforts to stay in the contest with Christian Parker leading the way with a monster 24-point and eight-rebound performance. The Berg stayed true to their culture and weathered any storm that Mount Union attempted to bring them throughout the course of the game.  

In the second half, Seth Hohman and Tre Watkins served as catalysts for the upset-minded Student Princes.  Hohman had ten of his team-high 15 points and Watkins had 12 of his 14 points after the break.  

Jashun Cobb continued to be a spark off the bench, dropping six points and four assists -- one in particular came after a crowd-pleasing crossover and pass to Zane Leitwein.  Leitwein, who finished with seven points, buried a 3-pointer from the corner.   

The Berg held the Raiders to a 16.7% shooting percentage (4-for-24) from beyond the arc. Continuing their defensive brilliance, they also held preseason All-American Collen Gurley to only five points for the game. Other players on Mount Union stepped up however, with Darrell Newsom and Corey Hudson each contributing 14 points of their own. 

Heidelberg shot 40% from the floor and a fantastic 18-of-20 (90%) from the line.  HU enjoyed a 33-18 edge off the bench.  

The 'Berg faithful -- locked in from Logsdon's triple-hits in the first half through the foul shots in the final minutes -- also played a major role in the game.  In addition to starting a wave, the crowd created a B-E-R-G chant in the four sections of the bleachers.  

The men's basketball team will enjoy this victory, but OAC play continues as they take on the Wilmington Quakers next Saturday, Dec. 10, in Wilmington.