TIFFIN – Rightfully so, senior Frank Longhino gave the Heidelberg University men's basketball team a spark off the bench in the second half that led a to big run, pushing the Student Princes past Otterbein on senior day. In the first half, it was freshman Kiere' Bennie that stole the show to keep the Berg ahead, but in the second a 14-2 run gave Heidelberg a lead they would not relinquish, running away for a 72-60 victory.

It was the final home game in the careers of Longhino, Cole Williams, and Doug Waldmannstetter, and it ended the right way, with a win. Williams had to sit out due to an injury, but Longhino and Waldmannstetter played key roles as the Student Princes closed out the regular season.

THREE STARS

Longhino entered the game for the first time in the second half with the Student Princes leading by just seven points. After his appearance, the Berg built their lead to as many as 20, pulling away for the win. Longhino finished the game with eight points and a career-high three steals, energizing the crowd as Heidelberg rallied for the victory.

Bennie had yet another big day offensively for the Berg, scoring a game-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the 3-point line. 15 of his points came in the first half, as he kept Heidelberg in the lead entering halftime.

Chris Moxley was the only other Student Prince in double-figures in scoring for the game, netting 10 points while pulling down a team-high seven boards. The freshman also dished out a team-high four assists in the win.

KEY STATS

Heidelberg forced Otterbein into 24 turnovers in the game, finishing with a +13 turnover margin. The 17 steals by the Berg is tied for the 3rd most in a game this season and was the most they have had since their win over Lakeland on December 29th.

The Student Princes shot 50% from the field in the second half, helping them pull away from Otterbein as the game wore on. The Berg was able to build a big lead and then run some clock, not allowing the visiting Cardinals to make any sort of push.

FIRST HALF

The Student Princes came out of the gate on fire, opening with a 9-0 run, capped off by a 3-pointer by Bennie just over a minute and a half into the game.

Otterbein was able to battle back and make the score 14-10 in favor of the Berg, but then an athletic reverse layup by Bennie was good plus the foul at the 11:52 mark to push the lead back out to six.

After the Cardinals made a bit of a run to claw within three points, a clutch trey by Bennie with 23 seconds remaining before halftime gave Heidelberg a 32-27 edge at the break.

SECOND HALF

Trading baskets early on, Heidelberg held a seven point lead at the 16:15 mark when Longhino entered the game. After building out to their first double-digit lead of half, Longhino drilled a 3-pointer to give the Student Princes a 54-41 edge with 12:05 remaining.

A jumper by Waldmannstetter pushed that advantage out to 16 at the 9:31 mark.

The Berg continued to pile on after they took their big lead, pushing that out to a 21-point edge with 6:56 to play after a Shane Lee layup. From there on, Heidelberg was able to milk the clock as Longhino and Waldmannstetter were subbed out with a minute remaining, exiting to a standing ovation by the Heidelberg crowd.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

The 24 turnovers by Otterbein tied the most in a game since the season-high 26 they had in the first meeting with Heidelberg.

The Student Princes led from start to finish in the game, never looking back after they took a 2-0 lead six seconds into the contest.

QUOTES

Senior Frank Longhino on his play, and the spark off the bench in the second half: "It was an exciting time for me, my last time playing. I just wanted to go out and do my thing, I guess."

Senior Cole Williams on the team's selfless play in the game: "Coach made it a strong point that he wanted the whole team to play like they are seniors because these four years fly right by you and before you know it, it's over. So he wanted us to go out there and give it our all that's what we did and got the big win today."

Senior Doug Waldmannstetter on the team's performance without Marqcuice Taylor, who missed the game due to an injury: "We always talk about having different guys step up every night. Marcquice has played a lot of big basketball games and he's a good player, so we know we had to have some guys step up and the guys off the bench did a great job tonight."

Williams on the youth of this team: "I've really enjoyed the fact that we have a really young team, a lot of freshman who are getting a lot of playing time. It's been cool to be there to support them and be a mentor to them on and off the court."

Head coach Andy Bucheit on his guys playing as a team: "We've talked the last couple weeks about being selfless, playing for each other. With the passing of Dean Smith, he always acknowledged the guy that made the pass, always calling for the guy that made the assist and so we've focused on that a lot as well the past couple days. Especially the way we play, getting a lot of turnovers. I thought our guys have done a good job the past couple days with playing hard not only for themselves, but for the team and for their seniors. We really wanted to send those guys off with a high note."

Bucheit on his seniors: "I love all of our seniors, they are all great people and I would do anything for each of them. Frank especially will always have a special place in my heart. He's had a tough stretch personally for him. Last year he played a lot and started a couple games, but today was his first time with significant minutes this season. Some guys could handle that the wrong way, they could pout, moan and feel sorry for themselves, but Frank was the complete opposite. He came to practice every day, was positive, worked hard and cheered for his teammates. Frank is the epitome of what a selfless teammate is."

Bucheit on the play of freshman Kiere Bennie: "He is relentless with his work ethic. He's the guy that is there first and there last, always asking for extra workouts from our coaching staff. After the game, I knew he was happy for our win, but I could see a look of disgust on his face, and I knew it was because he was 0-1 from the free throw line. He prides himself on wanting to get to 90%. He is elite and is a difference maker at this level."

UP NEXT

The Heidelberg Men's basketball team will be the 7th seed in the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference tournament, starting next Tuesday. Their next game will be on the road at an opponent that is yet to be determined.