ADA, Ohio –The Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team lost an overtime Ohio Athletic Conference game to Ohio Northern University by a final score of 85-74 in the ONU Sports Center.
BW (14-5, 8-4 OAC) had three players score in double figures led by senior All-OAC guard Cam Kuhn (Vermilion), who scored 27 points in the first game, as he scored a game-high tying 29 points. Sophomore guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick) chipped in 11 points. Senior All-OAC forward Jake Fetherolf (Norwalk), who scored 19 points in the first meeting, as he recorded his third straight, OAC-leading 10th and 28th career double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Ohio Northern (13-6, 8-4 OAC), who swept the season series for the second straight season, had three players score in double digits led by junior All-OAC center Ryan Bruns, who scored 23 points in the first meeting, as he scored a game-high tying 29 points. Senior guard Nate Berger, who scored 27 points in the first meeting, poured in 23 points. Senior forward Joey DiOrio chipped in 15 points.
The Polar Bears jumped out to an early 7-2 lead when Bruns knocked down a three-pointer at the 17:57 mark. The Yellow Jackets responded with an 11-0 run to take an 13-7 lead on a triple by senior forward Mike Kaminski (Medina) at 14:54. After the score was 15-9 at the 12:34, both teams went scoreless for a four-minute span. BW then pushed the lead to 22-9 on a layup by Fetherolf at 6:24. The Yellow Jackets outscored Ohio Northern, 15-13, down the stretch to lead 37-22 at halftime. BW got its final points on a three-pointer by junior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC guard Jay Battle (Gahanna/Lincoln) with four seconds remaining.
The Polar Bears opened the second half on a 5-2 run to cut the lead down to 39-27 when sophomore guard Austin Allemeier hit a pair of free throws at the 18:16 mark. The Yellow Jackets went on a 10-8 run to take a 49-35 on a layup by sophomore forward Tyler Colombo (Strasburg/Tuscarawas Central Catholic) at 14:11. Ohio Northern responded with a 12-4 run to cut the lead down to 53-50 on a triple by senior guard Nate Berger at the 9:14 mark. BW took a 62-59 lead when Kuhn knocked down a pair from the charity stripe at the 3:21 mark. The game was knotted at 65-65 with 47 seconds remaining when Kuhn hit a triple. After a Polar Bear turnover, BW had a look at the win but Kuhn's three was off the mark as time expired.
In the extra session, the Yellow Jackets took a 71-69 lead on a three-pointer by Quiring at the 3:26 mark. Ohio Northern answered with a 10-0 run to take a 76-71 when Burger hit a three-pointer with 1:26 remaining. The Polar Bears closed the overtime on a 9-3 run to secure the victory.
BW is back in action on Saturday, February 3 when the it hosts an OAC game against Otterbein University in the Ursprung Gymnasium at 3 p.m. Fans can follow all of the action live at http://www.bwyellowjackets.com/x/7izoj.
