BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team edged out Heidelberg University, 70-67 in the Lou Higgins Center, inside Ursprung Gymnasium.
BW (11-7 overall, 7-4 Ohio Athletic Conference) was led by senior forward Alex Nahra (Mayfield) as he recorded 15 points off 7-of-10 shooting, and grabbed seven rebounds. Senior two-time Academic All-OAC guard Michael Quiring (Brunswick) sank 11 and added four assists. Junior guard Luke Schaefer (Medina) poured in 10 and snagged three boards. Senior forward Drew Sova (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) corralled a game-high 11 rebounds and threw in four points.
Heidelberg (7-11 overall, 5-6 OAC) was led by senior guard Tamal Watkins who led all scorers with 23 points. Junior guard Dylan Woods notched 18.
BW improves to 80-46 in the all-time series with Heidelberg and are 5-1 in their last six games, including 10 straight at home against the Student Princes.
Heidelberg established a 17-10 lead to open up the contest. The Yellow Jackets cut the lead to 19-18 at 9:24 with an 8-2 spurt. Both squads traded baskets over the next minutes as Heidelberg managed to gain a 32-30 lead at 3:15. After a tough defensive possession by BW that resulted in a shot-clock violation, a shot from Schaefer would tie the game up at 32 apiece at the 2:20 mark. The Student Princes scored one more bucket before the end of the half and went into halftime with a 34-32 lead.
With a 6-4 run to start the second half, the Yellow Jackets tied the game up at 38 after a Cebula layup. BW then went on a 7-1 spurt to take a 45-39 advantage at the 13:06 mark, forcing Heidelberg to take a timeout. The Student Princes trimmed the lead to 50-49 with a 10-5 run with just under eight minutes left in regulation. A timely step-back trey from Quiring gave the Yellow Jackets a 53-49 lead with seven minutes left in the second half. Heidelberg sank a three on the following possession to cut the lead back to one. BW went on a 10-5 spurt to establish a 63-57 lead at the 3:28 mark. The Student Princes knotted the contest up at 63 with a 6-0 run. On the Yellow Jackets following possession, Quiring nailed a wing three after a dish from Schaefer, making it a 66-63 game with just 1:30 left in the second. Both teams scored four points to close the game and BW secured the season series with the 70-67 victory.
The Yellow Jackets are now 8-2 at home and are 5-1 in games that are decided by five points or less for the season.
BW returns to the court on Saturday February 1 for an OAC contest against Muskingum University. The next home game is against Ohio Northern University on Wednesday February 5.
