WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team scored 63 second-half points, but could not overcome a 23-point halftime deficit as Heidelberg University escaped Fred Raizk Arena with a 98-87 victory over the Fightin' Quakers on Saturday afternoon.
The first 10 minute was played within a six-point window as neither team led by more than three points. Kiere Bennie's three-pointer gave Heidelberg a 17-15 edge with 10:15 to go in the first half. Unfortunately for the Fightin' Quakers, the Student Princes ended the first half on a 30-9 run and took a 47-24 lead into halftime.
The Quakers full-court defensive pressure began to force turnovers in the second half as a Kevin Lewis layup got Wilmington within a dozen at the 11:30 mark. Heidelberg's lead would get as low as 11 points on three occasions, but the hosts couldn't get the deficit into single digits.
Heidelberg shot 36-of-60 from the field for 60.0 percent on the game compared to 28-of-64 (43.8 percent) for Wilmington. The Quakers did make 16-of-31 three-point attempts for 51.6 percent, but the Student Princes made 10-of-14 triple tries.
Christian Jones led all scorers with 27 points on 8-of-10 from distance. Andrew Russell added 21 points and four rebounds while D.J. Iles had 11 points while dishing out seven assists.
Myron Prewitt led Heidelberg with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds. Bennie added 19 points and three assists.
Wilmington (3-5, 0-3 OAC) hosts Marietta College on Saturday. Tip-off from Fred Raizk Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m.
