BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's basketball team opened the 2021 season by falling to the University of Mount Union in an Ohio Athletic Conference game by a final score of 109-82 in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center.

 BW (0-1, 1-0  OAC) had three players score in double figures led by sophomore Anthony Mazzeo (North Canton/Massillon Jackson) as he recorded career-highs in points with 24 and rebounds with eight.  Freshman forward Christian Pfeiffer (Amherst) tallied 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.  Junior guard Shane Zalba (Mentor) contributed a career-high 11 points.

Mount Union (1-0, 0-1 OAC) had five players score in double digits.  Junior guard Collen Gurley only played the first half and scored a game-high 26 points.  Junior guard Ethan Stanislawski and junior forward Braedon Poole also only played in the first stanza and scored 17 and 16 points, respectively.  Freshman guard Christian Parker tallied 12 points and Adam Chaney contributed 10 points.

The Yellow Jackets took an early 13-11 on a three-pointer by freshman guard Drew Wennes (Huron) at the 16:41 mark of the first half.   The Purple Raiders responded with a 14-2 to take a 25-15 lead Gurley knocked down a three at 13:21.  BW used a 6-2 run to cut the lead down to 27-21 on a layup by sophomore guard Samson Albert (Akron/Revere) at the 9:43 mark.   Mount Union outscored the Yellow Jackets 31-16 the remainder of the half to take a 58-37 lead into the intermission.

BW opened the second half on an 15-7 run to cut the lead down to 68-51 on a Wennes layup at the 16:13 mark.   The Purple Raiders answered back and extended its lead to 79-56 on traditional three-point play by Adam Chaney at 11:47.  Mount Union pushed its lead to as many as 30 points on five occasions with the last coming at 104-74 on  a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Andrew Keller at the 2:32 mark.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, January 23 for the second final game of the home-and-home series with the Purple Raiders in the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex at 6 p.m.