Men's Basketball Treats Alumni to Sweet Homecoming vs. Otterbein
Junior forward Travis Kinn (Alvada, Ohio / New Riegel) recorded his fifth double-double on the season, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Heidelberg men’s basketball team to a 72-62 win over Otterbein College on Alumni Day in Seiberling Gymnasium.
The win improved Heidelberg’s overall record to 5-8 and its Ohio Athletic Conference mark to 2-4, while the Cardinals drop to 3-11 overall and 1-6 in league action.
Backing Kinn was Jake Hessey (Crestline, Ohio / Colonel Crawford) with 15 points, including a 10-for-12 showing from the charity stripe. Rounding out three in double figures was Josh Calver (Shelby, Ohio / Shelby) with 11. Picking up five boards apiece was Jim Smalley (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / Midpark) and Derrick Flynn (Cleveland, Ohio / Padua Franciscan).
Leading the Cardinal offense was Cory Ratai and Brian Pollock with 17 points each. Ratai rounded out a double-double with 10 rebounds.
The contest featured 11 ties and 10 lead changes throughout the day. The first half saw an even battle on both ends of the court with each team shooting just over 30.0 percent. Heidelberg held a slim 31-26 advantage at the intermission following a 10-for-11 showing at the free throw line.
Heidelberg led throughout the second half until Pollock hit one of two from the free throw line to tie the game, 52-52, with 6:39 to play. Otterbein and Heidelberg battled through three more ties and the Cardinals held a 60-59 advantage with 2:33 on the clock.
Hessey found Kinn in the lane on Heidelberg’s next possession to give the lead back to the home team for the remainder of the contest. The Berg connected on 11-of-14 free throws over the final two minutes of the game to seal the win.
For the game Heidelberg found its way to the free throw line, score 29 of its points compared to 14 by the visitors. Overall the Berg shot 37.0 percent (20-of-54) from the field, while Otterbein edged the Berg shooting 39.0 (23-of-59). Otterbein held a 46-31 advantage on the glass.