TIFFIN -- A strong start to the second half as well as a thrilling finish made up the winning formula for the Heidelberg University men's basketball team on Saturday, as they defeated Capital 73-70. After the Student Princes trailed by seven at halftime, a big run to start the second half as well as a clutch 3-pointer down the stretch helped the Berg hold on for the win.

With the win, Heidelberg improved to 9-6 (4-4 OAC) while Capital fell to 8-7 (4-4 OAC)

KEY STATS

Kiere' Bennie' scored a team-high 20 points for Heidelberg, including a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute that gave the Student Princes the lead for good.

Chris Moxley finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc and scored 16 points, all in the second half, while also recording three assists and a pair of steals. His layup with under 10 seconds to play stretched the Berg's lead back out to three and helped seal the win.

Heidelberg opened the second half on a 17-3 run, which set the tone for the remainder of the game after they trailed for almost the entirety of the first half.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Fast-paced from the onset, Capital raced out to a 7-2 lead in 2:11 thanks to two buckets by Mark Minch and a 3-pointer by AJ Dixon. The Crusaders pushed their lead out to as many as 11 in the first half.

Heidelberg shot 32.4% from the floor in the first half, with a number of attempts rattling in and out of the cylinder. The Student Princes closed the gap to 36-29 at halftime.

The Student Princes took the lead with a 7-0 run to start the second half. Down 37-36, Minch immediately answered with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Undaunted, the Tricolor continued to force the issue, opening up a seven-point lead on what was ultimately a 17-3 run over the first 8:09 of the period.

After a pair of Crusader free throws at 11:51 made it 46-41, Heidelberg went on another big run. Over the next three minutes, HU scored seven straight points, taking a 53-41 lead.

Capital responded with an 18-6 run in a four-minute stretch to tie the game at 59 with just under five minutes remaining.

Not to be deterred, the Student Princes responded with back-to-back buckets, as a 3-pointer by Moxley and a layup by Bennie stretched the lead back out to five with 3:02 left to play.

The Crusaders answered themselves and rallied all the way back, tying the game up at 68 with just over a minute to play.

With the ball and the game tied, Heidelberg attempted to call a timeout, but in the process, Moxley traveled, giving the ball back to Capital. Fortunately for the Berg, on the ensuing possession, Capital committed a turnover of their own to give the ball back to the Student Princes with 43 seconds remaining.

On the next possession, Moxley found Bennie open in the corner and he drilled a clutch 3-pointer to give HU a 71-68 edge with 25 seconds to go.

Capital answered with a layup and promptly called timeout, but on the next possession, Heidelberg broke through the press, giving Moxley an easy layup to give the Berg a 73-70 lead with less than 10 seconds to play.

The Crusaders had a chance at a game-tying 3-pointer at the end, but it went off the rim, giving the Student Princes the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Heidelberg scored 25 points off of turnovers, compared to just 12 for Capital.

James Hanley, who entered the game in the top five in the OAC in 3-point shooting, improved upon that today, making three of his four attempts from beyond the arc.

NOTABLE QUOTES

Heidelberg head coach Andy Bucheit on the grinding out the win: "I thought our guys were resilient ... Things weren't going our way offensively in the first half .... But we stayed the course ... I am extremely proud of our guys."

Chris Moxley on his 16-point second half: "As a point guard, I look for opportunities to get the ball to other people ... but as I saw opportunity, I took them and made them."

Kiere Bennie on his late 3-pointer: "Moxley did a great job drawing in my defender when he came off the ball screen, which left me open ... I had my feet set, ready to shoot -- like Coach Bucheit preaches in practice -- and nailed it."

UP NEXT

Heidelberg wraps up the first half of the OAC slate at home on Wednesday. Tipoff with Ohio Northern University (5-9, 2-5 OAC) is at 7:30 p.m.