TIFFIN – Trailing by one with under 10 seconds to play, Kiere' Bennie had a chance for the game-winner for the Student Princes on Wednesday evening against Baldwin Wallace, but his driving layup attempt clanged off the rim, allowing the visiting Yellow Jackets to hold on for the win. It was a close game throughout, as neither team led by more than seven the whole way, but BW was able to cling on to the 77-74 win in the end.

With the loss, Heidelberg fell to 10-10 (5-8 OAC) while Baldwin Wallace improved to 11-9 (6-7).

KEY STATS

Heidelberg forced Baldwin Wallace into 14 turnovers, compared to just five of their own, but the Student Princes struggled to knock down big shots down the stretch.

Bennie led the Berg with 14 points in the game, with eight of those coming from his perfect free throw shooting on the evening.

HU had a tough time containing BW's Cameron Kuhn, who was the game's leading scorere with 25 points. The sophomore went 10-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-9 from behind the 3-point arc for the Yellow Jackets.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It was a battle back-and-forth early on, as the two sides basically traded buckets until the Berg opened up a four point lead (20-16) after a 3-pointer by DeAvery Collins with 8:55 to play in the first half.

Baldwin Wallace quickly countered that, as they took a four point edge of their own with 5:58 to play off of a trey.

After BW was able to build their lead to as big as five, Heidelberg rallied all the way back and took a 35-33 halftime lead after Marcquice Taylor made a layup with under five second s remaining.

HU scored the first bucket of the second half on a layup by Jackson Blue, but then the Yellow Jackets went on a 13-2 run to take a 46-39 lead with 17:02 remaining. The Student Princes responded with a run of their own though, as they went on an 11-3 run to take a 50-49 advantage after a 3-pointer by Andrew Grothouse with 14:13 to play.

The game continued to be a nail-biter until BW was able to stretch their lead back out to seven with just under five minutes to play, and held that until under a minute remained.

Six straight free throws by Bennie, coupled with defensive stops on the other end, made it just a 75-74 lead for BW with 18 seconds left to play. Heidelberg quickly fouled after the inbounds, and Kuhn had a rare miss from the free throw line, giving HU the ball back with under 15 seconds to play. Bennie drove the length of the court for the Berg and got into the lane, but his layup attempt in traffic was no good, as BW pulled down the rebound. After a pair of Yellow Jacket free throws, Bennie had one more desperation attempt from long range, but it fell short as Baldwin Wallace held on 77-74.

QUOTES

Head coach Andy Bucheit on what made the difference in the close game: "I thought the guys played well, I thought we executed, and the majority of our shots were good looks, but we just didn't make them. We just missed too many shots in the end."

UP NEXT

Heidelberg will look to bounce back quickly, as they play host to Muskingum this Saturday, February 6th. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Seiberling Gymnasium.