UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio - Heidelberg University men's basketball coach Andy Bucheit has told his young team that the margin between victory and defeat is very slim. During Wednesday's 102-93 loss at John Carroll, that margin appeared to be less than a foot.

With his team down two in the waning seconds of the first overtime period, sophomore Deonte Holder corralled a missed shot, pivoted, hoisted a shot from 20.5 feet away and scored. Unfortunately for the Student Princes, the NCAA 3-point line is set at 20 feet 9 inches. Holder's basket sent the contest into a second overtime and Heidelberg ran out of gas.

Holder finished with a career-high 36 points. Senior Keith Mackie added 21 points in the loss.

Heidelberg (4-8, 0-5 OAC) led 34-33 after a remarkably tight first half. The lead changed hands several times as neither team managed to take control and

John Carroll (9-3, 3-2 OAC) scrambled out to a seven-point lead with a 10-2 run to start the second half, led by eight points from Joey Vuyancih. Vuyancih led JCU with 29 points.

Undeterred, the Tricolor fought back. Frank Longhino knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give HU a four-point lead. From there, momentum oscillated between the Berg and the Blue Streaks.

A pair of free throws from Holder gave Heidelberg seven-point lead with 3:15 left, but missed free throws and turnovers allowed John Carroll back into the game. Simon Kucharewicz tied the game at 79 with four seconds remaining. Longhino's half-court heave at the buzzer missed wide.

Less than two minutes after leading by five in overtime, Heidelberg trailed by three. After Holder cut the deficit to two with a free throw, an errant behind-the-back pass by JCU gave possession to HU.

After a timeout, the Student Princes moved the ball well and got an open look for Mike Petrie. His 3-point attempt ricocheted off the rim and into Holder's hands. After his heroic shot, one official called it a 3-pointer and the HU bench piled on the sophomore. The officials conferred and ruled it a two-point field goal. Video replay indicates that the correct call was made.

In the second overtime, the Student Princes seemed to run out of gas. Vuyancih scored nine points in the period.

Despite being winless in conference play, the Student Princes have gone toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the OAC. Bucheit's crew has already faced the top four teams in the league.

The Student Princes will travel to Muskingum on Saturday. Tipoff with the Muskies is at 3 p.m.