WHEATON, Ill. -- Bolstered by 22-point performances by Myron Prewitt and Chris Moxley, the Heidelberg University men's basketball team dug out of a big first-half hole and beat Bethel University, 89-87. The Student Princes overcame a 16-point deficit to pick up the season-opening win.

Heidelberg moved to 1-0 on the season and Bethel dropped to 0-1.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES

Prewitt added a team-high eight rebounds to his 22 points.

Moxley chipped in four assists to go with his 22 points.

Michael Schuller had 10 points off the bench for Heidelberg.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After both teams stumbled out of the gates, a pair of free throws by Heidelberg's Chris Moxley tied the game at 4 with 15:09 remaining in the first half. From there, the Royals went on a 15-0 run over a two-minute span. A layup by Myron Prewitt only temporarily halted the Bethel momentum.

Poor shooting, turnovers and fouls hampered Heidelberg's ability to find a rhythm throughout much of the first half. That changed when Andrew Grothouse and Michael Schuller buried back-to-back 3-pointers that brought the Student Princes to within six.

Helped by four buckets from Moxley, Heidelberg trailed by one with just under two minutes left. Malik Quisenberry stole the ball and laid it ahead for DeAvery Collins. Collins missed a contested fast-break layup, but Schuller trailed the play for a go-ahead stick-back, giving HU its first lead since 2-0.

The Royals regained the lead and took a 43-40 advantage into the intermission.

After the squads traded buckets in the early part of the second half, a trademarked Prewitt dunk ignited a Berg run. The sophomore from Bedford High School would lead HU to an 81-72 lead with 6:59 remaining.

Bethel regrouped sprinted back into the contest on the strength of three 3-pointers by Trevor Hall -- cutting the Heidelberg edge to 83-82 with 4:06 left. Later, a broken play allowed Hall a wide-open look at a 3-pointer, which he banked in -- giving the Royals an 87-86 lead.

Tied at 87 with 1:04 left, Heidelberg came out of a timeout and took the lead on a Kiere Bennie baseline layup. On the other end, Bethel missed from long range. Heidelberg managed to run off clock until Moxley was fouled with 16 seconds left.

Unable to convert on either shot, HU gave Bethel a shot at a potential game-winner. A 3-pointer from the top drew the front rim and the rebound was knocked out of bounds with 0.4 seconds left. The Royals were not able to score on the inbound.

NOTES & QUOTES

Freshman Alex Arellano crammed seven rebounds into his four minutes of playing time.

Heidelberg and Bethel were nearly identical in free-throw shooting and 3-point shooting. HU held a significant edge from the floor, however -- 48.5% to 39.2%.

Head coach Andy Bucheit on the turning point: "Everyone had a role in this win ... We were down early, in foul trouble ... We turned to the bench and they gave us life."

Bucheit on the second half: "In the second half, Bethel made a run late, which we knew they would ... Our guys maintained their composure and focused on controlling the outcome of the game by competing on every play."

Bucheit on Prewitt, Moxley and the offense: "Both guys stepped up in big ways and put some points on the board when we needed it. It wasn't just those guys ... multiple guys gave us great minutes when called upon."

Bucheit is 3-1 in season openers at Heidelberg.

Friday's 89 points were the most in an opener for Heidelberg since an 89-72 win over Ohio State - Lima in 2011.

UP NEXT

Heidelberg advances to the championship game of the Lee Pfund Classic on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. The Student Princes face host Wheaton (1-1).