BEREA, OHIO -- Junior forward Travis Kinn and junior guard Jim Smalley each scored 14 points as the Heidelberg College men's basketball team defeated Baldwin-Wallace College, 77-71, tonight (Wednesday, February 4, 2009) in an Ohio Athletic Conference game in the Seiberling Gymnasium in Tiffin. The win gave the Student Princes a sweep of the season series.
With its win, Heidelberg improves to 7-13 overall and 4-9 in the OAC and ended a three-game losing streak. With its loss, B-W falls to 6-14 overall and 2-11 in the OAC, and has lost seven straight contests.
In addition to Kinn and Smalley for the Student Princes, senior guard Jake Hessey had 13 points and sophomore forward Kyle Tuley and junior guard Josh Calver each had 10 points. BW was led by senior centerAndrew Bene (Hinckley/ Medina Highland) with a game-high 21 points and season-high 14 rebounds. It was Bene's 11th double-double of the season. In addition, senior two-time Academic All-OAC guard Dennis Santiago (Brook Park/ Middleburg Heights Midpark) scored 16 points..
In the first half, the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 2-0 lead when junior guard Louis Tumblin (Elyria/ Senior)made a jump shot at the 19:13 mark. Heidelberg took its first lead of the game at 7-6 at the 15:58 mark when Hessey made a three-pointer. Following three Heidelberg leads of three points and two more of one point, the Student Princes extended their lead to 16-12 when Smalley canned another trey with 10:41 to play.
Over a span of 1:33, Santiago single-handedly sparked the Yellow Jackets to a 6-0 run. He tied the score at 16-16 with 8:30 left when he followed two free throws with a layup. Then Santiago made a jumper in the paint at 8:30 to give the Jackets an 18-16 advantage.
The Student Princes tied the score again at 18-18 with 7:30 remaining when sophomore forward Ryan Treese connected on a jumper, and retook the lead at 20-18 when Smalley hit a jump shot at the 6:55 mark. Following ties at 20-20, 22-22 and 26-26, Heidelberg gained a 28-26 halftime lead when sophomore forward Derrick Flynn made a layup with four seconds left.
In the second half, following ties at 28-28, 30-30 and 32-32, BW regained the lead at 34-32 with 16:11 left when freshman guard Promis Cabill (Elyria/ Senior) made two foul shots and extended it to 36-32 when Tumblinscored on a layup with 15:46 remaining. The Jackets built their lead to eight points at 46-38 with 11:43 left when Santiago connected on a jumper.
Undaunted, Heidelberg outscored B-W 18-10 to tie the score at 56-56 when Smalley made a three-pointer with 6:39 left and re-took the lead at 59-58 when Hessey made a three-pointer at 5:55 left.
After BW gained a 60-59 lead on two foul shots by Bene, the Student Princes pushed their lead to 62-60 when sophomore guard Joel Miller made a three-pointer. Then, following an alternating possession, the lead grew to five points at 65-60 when Calver made a triple.
A jumper by Santiago and a jumper in the paint by Bene at 2:59 brought BW back to within one point at 65-64. A pair of foul shots by Kinn moved the lead back to three at 67-64 with 2:40 left. After Bene made one foul shot at 1:37 to pull BW back to 67-65, Tuley made a layup, was fouled and made the free throw to push Heidelberg's lead to 70-65. A Bene layup followed by two Smalley foul shots with 27 seconds left kept the advantage at five points at 72-67. Another Bene layup at 14 seconds left B-W one possession away from tying but the Student Princes at 72-69. Heidelberg sealed the win by making five-of-six free throws down the stretch.
The Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday, Feb, 7 when they host OAC foe Wilmington College in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium of the Lou Higgins Recreation Center in Berea at 3:00 p.m. That game is Al Sirat Grotto Day at B-W with part of the gate's proceeds goping to benefit children with cerebral palsy.
Media and fans are reminded that they can listen to all remaining B-W men's and women's basketball games LIVE on campus radio station WBW, 88.3 FM, and/ or via the WBW Internet web site at www.wBW.com . All home games are on Internet and all away games are both on radio and the Internet.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Coach Duane Sheldon, please call 440-826-2115 or e-mail at dsheldon@bw.edu. You can get all of the latest B-W athletics information by visiting our Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics.
