TIFFIN – A disjointed effort by the Heidelberg University men's basketball team resulted in an 81-69 setback against Capital University on Wednesday. The loss moves Heidelberg to 10-14, 6-11 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Crusaders improve to 8-16, 6-11 in OAC action.

KEY STATS

Capital dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Tricolor 35-20.

The Crusaders led the way at the line, hitting 28 of their 30 free throws (93.3%). The Student Princes were 11-of-25 (44.0%) from the stripe.

Heidelberg, third in the nation in turnover margin, was -1 in that category on Wednesday. 

FIRST HALF

A rough patch offensively for the Student Princes came early in the period as Capital built an eight-point lead. Chris Moxley helped the Tricolor creep back into the game with a pair of high-arcing 3-pointers. Moxley finished with 10 points in the half.

Shane Lee hit a running 15-footer from the baseline as the horn sounded, cutting the Capital lead to 35-33.

SECOND HALF

James Hanley drained a 3-pointer five minutes into the half which put Heidelberg back on top, 45-44. At the other end of the floor, Capital's Ben Danhoff hit a layup on a feed from former Student Prince Josh Pollner to grab the lead back.

Heidelberg stayed close for the next five minutes, only trailing by two following a DeAvery Collins triple. A 15-4 Capital run over a seven minute span sealed Heidelberg's fate. The Crusaders led by as many as 16 late in the contest.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Four Heidelberg players finished in double figures, led by Hanley's 14 points. Kiere Benne had 13 with Moxley and Collins adding 12 each.

Heidelberg's bench outscored the Capital reserves 28-8.

Capital was led by A.J. Dixon's 24-point evening. Curt Geise had 19 points, including a perfect 14-of-14 from the line.

QUOTES

Heidelberg head coach Andy Bucheit on his team's performance: "We just did not listen tonight ... That was the stem of all of our problems. We did not carry over our game plan and we let Capital – who's well-coached – take advantage."

Bucheit on not being able to get back in the game late in the second half: "There was no sense of urgency on our part ... With the way we played tonight, you can get exposed. If you're not ready to go and you don't rotate, then they get the big baskets when they need them."

UP NEXT

The Student Princes will wrap up their regular season this Saturday, February 21, when they take on Otterbein in Seiberling Gymnasium for Senior Day. That contest is slated for a 3:00 p.m. tip. When the Berg battled the Cardinals earlier this season on January 10th in Westerville, Heidelberg dominated en route to an 86-65 win. The Student Princes were +23 in turnover margin in that game, forcing Otterbein into 26 turnovers.

Heidelberg has secured a spot in the OAC Tournament, but has not solidified its seed.  Tied with Capital for 7th place, the Student Princes need a win and a Capital loss in order to move into the 7 seed.  A Berg loss or Capital win slides HU into the 8th spot.