Alliance, Ohio – January 23, 2010 – Newcomers Nate Davis (Dayton, Ohio / Stivers) and Dane Givner (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Harvest Preparatory) connected for a score from the tip to give the Heidelberg University men’s basketball team a lead it would never relinquish and an eventual 76-70 victory over Mount Union College.
The victory improves Heidelberg to 11-6 overall and 7-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while the Purple Raiders fall to 6-11 and 4-6. Within the OAC standings, the Berg is in a three-way tie for second with John Carroll University and Ohio Northern University. Today’s game concluded a four-game road trip for the Berg at 3-1.
Josh Calver (Shelby, Ohio / Shelby) followed Givner’s score with a trey to give the Berg an early 5-0 lead. Heidelberg extended its lead to 11 points, 30-19, following a Givner jumper with just over five minutes remaining in the opening half.
Mount Union answered with an 11-2 run to pull within two points, 32-30, with 2:09 on the clock, but Calver responded on the opposite end and led the Berg to a 38-35 lead at the break.
In the second half, Heidelberg scored first once again, but the host Purple Raiders would not go away. Mount Union cut its deficit to one, 45-44, at the 13:43 mark. Heidelberg’s Adrian Casey Jr. (Lorain, Ohio / Admiral King) converted a three-point play to erase the Mount Union threat.
Over the final nine minutes of the game, Mount Union knotted the score on two occasions, but the Berg would not falter. The last tie of the game came at 58-58 with 7:23 left in the game, and the Berg responded on the offensive end, and built another 11-point advantage en route to the win.
For the game, Heidelberg shot 52.9 percent (21-of-51) from the field, while Mount Union finished at 45.7 percent (21-of-46). On the glass, the Purple Raiders held a 31-28 advantage.
Heidelberg had four players record double figures led by Calver’s 17. Givner tallied 14 points followed by Jim Smalley (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / Midpark) with 12 points and Casey with 10. On the boards, Givner and Smalley had a team-best five boards, while Casey andMatt Grieves (Huron, Ohio / Huron) each hauled in four apiece.