WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- With their postseason fate already determined, the Heidelberg University men's basketball team could have folded.  Instead, senior Keith Mackie ignited a spirited comeback as Heidelberg upended Otterbein University in overtime, 84-82. 

The Student Princes (7-18, 3-15 OAC) finished in a three-way with Otterbein and Muskingum for the eighth and final tournament spot.  OAC tiebreaker rules gave the berth to Otterbein because the Cardinals swept the Muskies during the regular season. 

Muskingum's afternoon upset of Baldwin Wallace sealed HU's fate. 

"We knew going into tonight that we were out," said first-year head coach Andy Bucheit.  "This win shows our true colors."

The win was not easy. 

Otterbein (4-21, 3-15 OAC) led by as many as 11 in the second half and held a nine-point lead with four minutes left. 

Mackie came alive, scoring the game's next seven points. 

Cole Williams tied the game at 71 with a put-back.  After a Cardinal miss, Deonte Holder gave Heidelberg the lead with a layup. 

Otterbein sent the game into overtime with a Jason Phillips bucket. 

In overtime, a 3-pointer by senior Mike Petrie gave HU a brief 82-79 lead.  Marc McCuen tied the game at 82 with a 3-pointer of his own. 

With the shot clock turned off and time winding down, Mackie missed a jumper but Jackson Blue grabbed the rebound and made a jumper with 1.1 seconds left. 

Out of a timeout, Otterbein got a clean look at a potential game-winner.  Unlike most bounces for Heidelberg this year, the Cardinal shot ricocheted off the rim as time expired. 

Mackie and Holder each finished with 18 points.  Doug Waldmannstetter had 14 points and Blue finished with 12 points. 

Blue had a team-high eight rebounds and Waldmannstetter added seven. 

Thanks in large part to the relentless HU press, Otterbein committed 17 turnovers.  Conversely, Heidelberg committed only seven turnovers. 

The overtime win was a fitting end to a season rife with near-misses and unlucky breaks.

"Our guys have had a positive mentality every day and I give our three seniors credit for that," said Bucheit, whose team was picked to finish tenth in preseason polls.  "Those guys (Petrie, Mackie and Lee Renner) have laid the foundation for our future.  I am forever grateful."