OLIVET, Mich. — Heidelberg University Men's Basketball found its late-game poise on Saturday afternoon, edging host Olivet, 64-63, in a seesaw battle at the Cutler Event Center. After whittling away at a double-digit Olivet lead, then surviving a frantic final minute, a Brady Bosma jumper with eight seconds left led the Student Princes (3–3) to a gutsy non-conference road win. 

"I am incredibly proud of every guy on this team. To have two games in 20 hours, and have the mental toughness and poise to finish down the stretch is an example of what we have been working towards as a team," said Head Coach Mike Summey. "Every single person on this trip and on this team contributed."

Olivet came out firing early, building a 15–4 advantage behind three quick buckets from Porter Kretschman and back-to-back threes from Conner Schipper. Heidelberg's bench sparked the first momentum shift as Jarveil Gainey drilled a left-wing triple at the 14:11 mark, Connor Flood finished a strong layup in transition moments later.

"We were dead in the water after four minutes," said Summey. "The five players who entered the game when we were down 11 gave everything they had to get us back into contention."

The rally gained steam when Bosma scored on consecutive trips and later added a steal-and-finish in the final minute of the half. With four seconds remaining in the half, he buried a 3-pointer to send Heidelberg into the locker room up 36–33 — their largest lead of the day. 

Olivet reclaimed control after a Levi Stambaugh three and an Evan Honnen corner jumper pushed the Comets ahead 39–36. Heidelberg responded with persistent attacking at the rim. Marcos Vazquez converted a three-point play at 16:26, then added two more drives inside the next four minutes. 

Still, Honnen stayed hot for Olivet, knocking down his fifth three of the game to extend the Comet lead to 46–39. From there, the teams traded buckets for nearly ten minutes, with Heidelberg unable to string together stops while Olivet continued to hit timely jumpers. 

The turning point came at the 7:26 mark. After two free throws from Trey Killens cut the deficit to six, the Student Princes unleashed their best defensive stretch of the afternoon. Bosma poked away a steal that led to a transition finish, Vazquez hit a mid-range jumper to bring the Berg within two, and Markell Johnson-Nichols gathered his own rebound and tied the game at 57 with a layup at 4:11.

Over the next three minutes, both teams struggled to convert as possessions tightened. After a Killens 3-pointer briefly put Heidelberg on top 60–59, Olivet answered with a layup.  Johnson-Nichols hit two free throws with 1:43 left, giving HU a 62-61 edge.  Olivet answered on their next possession and took the lead into the final minute.  

Needing a stop, the HU defense clamped down for nearly the entirety of the shot clock, but a high rebound allowed the Comets to control the carom. The Student Princes were forced to foul, and did so with 19.5 left.  

Olivet missed the front end of the one-and-one and Vazquez secured the board.  Eschewing a timeout, Vazquez pushed up the floor and found Bosma on the left baseline. Curling into the paint and drawing contact, Bosma rose, fired, and delivered the shot of the night — an off-balance jumper off glass with 8.5 seconds remaining to put Heidelberg ahead, 64–63. 

After a timeout, Olivet attempted a final look, but the Student Princes' defense stood tall as the last-second attempt came up empty, sealing Heidelberg's third win of the season. 

"We are growing every day to be the best version of who we can be," concluded Summey.  

Bosma finished with a team-high 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, continuing his early-season efficiency. Vazquez anchored the offense with 10 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists, flirting with a triple-double. Killens and Gainey added eight each, while Riley Gossom contributed eight points and several key defensive rebounds. 

The Berg shot 50% in the first half and overcame a cold second half from three by outscoring Olivet 26–22 in the paint and converting 7-of-8 free throws. 

Heidelberg returns to action at Trine on Wednesday. Tipoff in Angola is slated for 7 p.m.