UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A second-half surge fizzled in the final moments as the Heidelberg University Men's Basketball team fell to No. 7 John Carroll, 86-78. The Student Princes whittled an 18-point deficit down to zero with 5:53 to play, but the hosts closed the game on a 15-7 run. 

Heidelberg slipped to 8-4 overall and 4-1 OAC. John Carroll improved to 11-1, 5-0 OAC. 

Tre Watkins had a team-high 25 points, hitting his first six 3-pointers of the contest. 

Eric Panning's season-long string of double-doubles reached 12 following a 16-point, 12-rebound performance. 

Midway through the opening half, JCU embarked on a 20-4 run -- bolstered by 10 points from Luke Frazier -- that gave the hosts their biggest lead of the game. The Blue Streaks led 46-28 with 3:46 in the first. 

Watkins dialed up two more of those triple-hits in the final four minutes of the half, but John Carroll led by 16 at the break. 

HU trimmed the deficit to 11 over the first four minutes of the second half with five layups. 

The climb continued with a game-tying 18-7 run over a span of 5:36. Amil Jenkins corralled an offensive board and knotted the game with a put-back high off the glass. 

John Carroll answered immediately with a 10-0 run, capped by a Frazier 3-pointer. The Blue Streaks were able to ice the game at the line in the final minute. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Entering action on Wednesday, Panning led the nation in double-doubles and was fifth in rebounds per game. Panning was 8-for-10 on the evening … Watkins has finished with 20+ points in four games this season. He has a team-high 36 assists this season.

UP NEXT
The men will play host to Wilmington (5-7, 1-4 OAC) on Saturday for a 1 pm tipoff.