BEXLEY, Ohio – Battling back from a halftime deficit on the road, the Heidelberg University men's basketball team found their groove in the second half, pulling away before holding on late for a 59-51 win over Capital.

Senior Doug Waldmannstetter made some big plays as the Student Princes made a run early in the second half, forcing Capital to play from behind at the end of the game. The comeback attempt by the host Crusaders fell short, however, as Capital was only able to pull within one possession for a short amount of time.

THREE STARS

Waldmannstetter had a big day coming off the bench, scoring 10 points while pulling down six rebounds. This was the first double-figure game for the Clay High School product since his return from injury.

Ben Jones had another solid day from behind the arc, scoring 14 points, which included 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. He drilled a trey right before the halftime buzzer to help the Student Princes pull within one, also nailing three second-half 3-pointers to assist in building the lead.

Kiere' Bennie shot just 1-of-11 from the field in the game, but hit 10-of-12 from the free throw line to help maintain the Berg's lead late in the game. He finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

KEY STATS

A 20-4 run for Heidelberg that stretched from the end of the first half to midway through the second made the difference in the game, allowing the Student Princes to control the contest.

Bennie's 10-of-12 day from the free throw line helped the Berg hold off the comeback attempt by Capital late in the game.

FIRST HALF

The Crusaders took an early 7-2 lead after Andrew Bolka made a layup with 16:10 remaining.

That lead for Capital held pretty constant throughout most of the period until right at the end. A 3-pointer right before the half cut the lead to just one, 23-24 in favor of the Crusaders.

SECOND HALF

Things started to click for the Student Princes early in the second half, started by Marcquice Taylor making a layup 30 second in to give the Berg their first lead of the ballgame, 25-24.

Another trey by Jones made the score 28-24 in favor of Heidelberg with 17:25 to play.

Back-to-back buckets by Waldmannstetter gave the Student Princes a 34-26 lead with 13:08 left in the game.

After Capital made a jumper, Jones caught fire and hit two consecutive 3-pointer to give Heidelberg their largest lead of the game, 40-28 at the 10:39 mark.

The Crusaders cut the lead down to eight, but a trey by Bennie pushed it back up to 11, 45-34 with 7:33 to play.

The home team made a comeback, getting within one possession, 49-46 with 3:29 to play after a made jump shot.

That would be all the closer Capital would come, however, as the Student Princes pulled away for the 59-51 win at the end.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

This was the first win for the Student Princes over Capital since March 1st, 2008 when Heidelberg knocked off the 13-ranked Crusaders in the OAC Tournament Championship game.

QUOTES

Head coach Andy Bucheit on how his team battled for the win: "Our team played desperate, we played possession by possession with a focus on winning the small battles on every play."

Bucheit on the significance of this win: "This is a great day for our program. We beat a coach I have great respect for. Capital has been one of the elite programs in the OAC and to get a win on their home floor is a huge step for us."

Bucheit on the play of Waldmannstetter: "Doug's stat line shows he had a great game, but what doesn't show up is his leadership. Doug was vocal and played with a lot of heart. He sets a great example for everyone in our program."

UP NEXT

In the middle of four consecutive road games for the Student Princes, they will travel to Ohio Northern on Wednesday, January 21, for their next contest. That OAC game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off in Ada.