Men’s Basketball wins second in a row, downs Heidelberg 70-53
By Bud Denega
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's basketball team ended its 2019-20 home slate in style Wednesday night inside the ONU Sports Center. The Polar Bears won their second straight game, downing Heidelberg 70-53.
The victory improved Northern to 8-16 overall and 4-13 in Ohio Athletic Conference play. The loss dropped the Student Princes to 10-14 overall and 8-9 in conference action.
ONU was led by a balanced scoring effort. Freshman Landen Long (Mason) paced the Polar Bears, pouring in 17 points, on 6-for-10 shooting, off the bench.
Junior Thomas Phillips (Kenton) added 11 points and seven rebounds. Seniors Austin Allemeier (Elida) and Caleb Bryan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) tallied nine points apiece, while freshman C.J. Napier (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) chipped in eight points to go alongside a team-high 11 rebounds and three assists.
Northern shot 45.6 percent (26 of 57) from the floor and 47.4 percent (9 of 19) from 3-point land. The Student Princes connected on just 35.6 percent (21 of 59) of their field-goal attempts and 33.3 percent (6 of 18) of their 3-pointers.
Tamal Watkins led Heidelberg with 11 points, and Dylan Woods added 10.
The Polar Bears dominated the rebounding battling. ONU held a 44-28 advantage on the glass, which included a 13-9 edge in offensive rebounds. That equated to a 14-7 disparity in second-chance points in favor of Northern.
Heidelberg held a brief 6-2 lead just two minutes into the game, but that was quickly erased by a 10-2 run from the Polar Bears capped by a 3 from Allemeier. The Student Princes used an 8-0 run of their own to catapult back ahead, however, ONU outscored Heidelberg 21-15 over the final 11 minutes of the opening half for a 33-31 lead at the break.
Bryan gave Northern its first double-digit lead of the game on a layup at 11:55 mark, which made it 51-40. The Student Princes cut the deficit to as little as five, but never drew closer.
The Polar Bears close the season at Muskingum. ONU defeated the Muskies 72-66 in Ada on Jan. 11.