Court Dedication
Moe Mule
69
Wilmington (OH) WILM 2-13,0-8 OAC
71
Winner Heidelberg HEID 10-5,6-2 OAC
Wilmington (OH) WILM
2-13,0-8 OAC
69
Final
71
Heidelberg HEID
10-5,6-2 OAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wilmington (OH) WILM 28 41 69
Heidelberg HEID 43 28 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Berg Wins; Sayger-Hill Court Rededicated

TIFFIN -- The Heidelberg Men's Basketball team avoided the upset on Alumni Day, holding off a furious comeback by Wilmington to secure a thrilling 71-69 victory at Seiberling Gymnasium. With the win, the Student Princes improved to 10-5 overall and 6-2 in OAC play, as Wilmington stumbled to 2-13, 0-8 in OAC action.

Prior to the game, Heidelberg University officially renamed the playing surface inside Seiberling Gymnasium as Sayger-Hill Court, adding legendary coach John Hill's name alongside Herman Sayger. 

Heidelberg saw a 43-28 halftime lead evaporate entirely as Wilmington's comeback bid helped them to draw even with 41 seconds to play. 

Tied at 69, with possession, Heidelberg turned to Markell Johnson-Nichols. Driving down the left side of the lane, he beat his defender and acrobatically laid in a shot, high off the glass. His bucket, coming with 14.1 to play, put HU ahead, 71-69.  

With the Quakers opting to go the length of the court, they put the ball in the hands of Rashid Chisholm. Chisholm drove to the left side of the basket, but his floating jumper was swatted toward the baseline by Johnson-Nichols. The rebound landed in the hands of Wilmington's Obed Achirem, standing out of bounds. The whistle gave HU the ball back with 0.6 seconds left and the Student Princes were able to inbound the ball to win.

Heidelberg's offensive effort was led by Johnson-Nichols, who had 15 points, including the game clinching layup in the last 14 seconds. He also contributed three steals and two rebounds. Elijah Harden added 11 points, while Kevin Reynald Jr. chipped in 10 on near-perfect shooting. Despite fouling out, Eric Panning had a strong performance with nine points and nine rebounds, adding several key blocks in the closing minutes.

Heidelberg scored 40 points in the paint while out-rebounding Wilmington, 36-31. The Student Princes converted 15 turnovers into 13 points, taking advantage of Quaker miscues. The bench also came up big, contributing 30 points to help lift the Berg to victory.

Heidelberg returns to action on Wednesday, hosting Ohio Northern. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
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