WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team fell to Ohio Northern University (ONU) 68-64 in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) contest at Fred Raizk Arena on Wednesday evening.
The Polar Bears hit their first four shots to build an 11-2 lead two minutes into the game. The Fightin' Quakers, however, battled back to within a single point (13-12) thanks to a 10-2 run capped by a triple from Jeffery Mansfield at the 15:10 mark of the first half. ONU would stretch it back up to as many as eight points and took a 33-26 lead into halftime as CJ Napier made a layup with 12 seconds left in the period.
Wilmington found itself trailing 44-31 five minutes into the second period, forcing a timeout by Head Coach K.C. Hunt. The Quakers would hang around a 6-8-point deficit for the next 10 minutes and make one final push in the final three minutes. Trailing 64-57, two Noah Dado free throws cut the deficit to five, and after a stop, Mansfield made a jumper to pull the hosts within a single possession at 64-61 with 46 seconds to play. After a timeout, WC came out in an aggressive full-court pressure, and unintentionally fouled when trying to force a turnover. Brandon Waugh made 1-of-2 from the line, and ONU hit the rest of its free throws to seal the win.
ONU finished 22-of-45 from the field for a 45.8 percent clip to go along with 6-of-15 (40.0 percent) from distance and 18-of-25 (72.0 percent) from the free throw line. Wilmington made one less field goal, despite shooting 36.8 percent, the same amount of triples and two less free throws (16-of-20 for 80.0 percent). The Polar Bears won the rebounding battle 42-25.
Mansfield led all scorers with 20 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and four steals while Dado added 14 points and seven boards. Collmann Aaron also scored in double figures for Wilmington. ONU relied on its trio of Waugh, Adam Scott and Napier who all tallied at least 15 points. Waugh added 11 rebounds and missed a triple-double by just two assists.
The Quakers continue conference play by hosting Heidelberg University on Saturday. Tip-off from Fred Raizk Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m.
