ALLIANCE -- Despite a valiant effort on the road, the No. 3 seed Heidelberg University Men's Basketball team bowed out of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament with a 91-85 loss to No. 2 seed Mount Union on Thursday. Unlike Tuesday against Capital, the Student Princes were unable to climb out of a 15-point hole. 

The Purple Raiders, ranked No. 24 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, knocked Heidelberg out in the semifinals of the OAC tournament for the third consecutive year. 

Heidelberg, which finished the season 16-11, had two 20-point performances from Eric Panning and Isaiah Young. Panning picked up his 21st double-double of the season with a 23-point, 10-rebound effort. Young had 21 points. Zane Leitwein also finished in double-figures, tallying 13 points. 

Tied at nine, Mount Union went on a 9-0 run, capped by an off-balance tip-in from Christian Parker. 

The plucky Student Princes rallied with a 10-0 surge, bookended by 3-pointers by Zane Leitwein and Zachary Chatmon. Chatmon's missile from the wing prompted a timeout from the hosts -- and whatever MTU Head Coach Mike Fuline said, worked. 

The Purple Raiders emerged from the timeout and hit an unforgettable nine of their next 11 shots, part of a 25-9 run. They led, 43-28, with six minutes to play in the half. 

No strangers to digging out of big holes, Heidelberg answered with a 17-7 run to close the half. The stretch helped Heidelberg cut the deficit to five at the halftime horn. 

Mount Union held the lead for the entirety of the second half, but it wasn't without drama. On three separate occasions, Heidelberg had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead. Each time, HU rimmed out baskets that could have changed the complexion of the contest. 

The Purple Raiders found success drawing fouls down the stretch, getting in the bonus early. Hitting enough from the line, MTU held a two-possession lead throughout the final three minutes of play. 

Even in the final minute, Heidelberg continued to be pestered by the unforgiving rims in Alliance. Down six, a potential 3-pointer from Tre Watkins rattled around twice before falling out of the cylinder. The Berg had two tries at a put-back, drawing iron on both occasions. As a result, Mount Union advanced to the finals of the OAC Tournament. 

Mount Union had six players in double figures, led by Collen Gurley. Gurley, who missed the second game against HU in February, had 21 points. 

The disappointing loss does not diminish the continued success of the Student Princes in the Andy Bucheit era. Heidelberg has advanced to the semifinals in three straight years for the first time since John Hill's teams in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Those teams fell in the finals each time.

Young led HU with a career-best 435 points. Panning set a 'Berg record with 318 rebounds -- beating the record of 296, set by Harry Groman in 1956. 

Photo Courtesy of Ed Hall Jr. / Mount Union Sports Information