Tiffin, Ohio – January 8, 2011 – Five players in double figures paced the Heidelberg University men’s basketball team to an 81-77 victory over nationally ranked Marietta College in Seiberling Gymnasium, on the campus of Heidelberg.
Heidelberg handed Marietta (13-1, 6-1) its first loss on the year, after opening up with 13 straight wins, including six against Ohio Athletic Conference opponents. The Pioneers entered the game ranked 24th in the nation according to D3Hoops.com. The victory marks the second in a row for the Berg who stand at 6-7 overall and 4-2 in the OAC. Its two wins in a row have come against league foes to move the Berg a game out of second place in the OAC standings.
“During our two wins, we have focused on doing the little things right,” said third-year head coach Anthony Gholson. “Earning some OAC wins will give us something to hang our hat on and should give us a boost as we head into a stretch of home games. We will be playing with more confidence as we welcome our student fans back to campus next week.”
The Berg had 10 players reach the scoring column led by Dane Givner (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Harvest Preparatory) with 15 points. He was backed by Kyle Tuley (Berea, Ohio / Berea) and Darion Capers (Dayton, Ohio / Trotwood-Madison) with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Rounding out those in double figures for the home team was Pat Barrett (Lakewood, Ohio / Lakewood) and Clifton Powell (Detroit, Mich. / Bishop Foley) with 10 points apiece.
Nate Davis (Dayton, Ohio / Stivers) led the way on the glass with a career and game-high 17 boards. Davis just missed a double-double with nine points. Capers was second on the team with four rebounds.
Marietta was led by Kevin Knabb with 19 points, with 12 coming in the first half. Jason Humphrey had a team-high seven rebounds.
For the game, Heidelberg shot 45.5 percent from the field (25-of-55), including an impressive 60.0 percent (15-of-25) in the second half. Marietta hit 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field. On the glass, the Berg held a 39-35 advantage.
The first half featured eight lead changes and seven ties. Marietta led by as many as seven, 23-16, with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. The Berg answered with an 11-2 run to take a 27-25 lead with 4:12 on the clock. The Pioneers bounced back to tie the game and eventually held a 35-32 advantage at the intermission.
A Capers three-pointer three minutes into the second half gave the Berg the lead it would never relinquish. Capers trey ignited a 17-6 ’Berg run to lead to its first double-digit lead of the contest at 54-44, with 11:47 left in the game.
Marietta did not quit and came back to pull within a point, 62-61, with 5:36 left following a Trevor Halter three-pointer. Heidelberg’s Quintin Aden Jr. (Canal Winchester, Ohio / Harvest Preparatory) converted two free throws on the opposite end to push the lead back to three. Aden’s free throws began a stint of seven straight scoring possessions by the Berg. Its scoring streak, coupled with execution down the stretch at the charity stripe (5-for-7), helped to seal the win.
Gholson praised the entire team for its composure down the stretch. “We executed well in the last 10 minutes. We are working hard and playing smarter. It is good to see us get rewarded for our hard work.”