OAC Leader Heidelberg Tops Baldwin-Wallace

Sophomore Chad Szalay (Lorain, Ohio / Clearview) drove right from the top of the key and hit a fade away 12-foot jumper with one second on the clock to break a 72-72 tie and lead the Heidelberg College men's basketball team to a 75-72 win over visiting Baldwin-Wallace College tonight in Ohio Athletic Conference action.

Baldwin-Wallace attempted a baseball pass to the opposite end of the floor, but the ball sailed long, giving Heidelberg possession. Shawn Shriver (Bellevue, Ohio / Western Reserve) was fouled on the inbounds and hit one of two from the charity stripe to bring the final score to 75-72.

The win improves Heidelberg to 11-5 overall and 7-2 in the OAC, while the Yellow Jackets fall to 10-6 overall and 5-4 in league play. The Berg remains in control of the league standings following the win. Overall the Berg has won four-straight games and eight of its last nine outings.

Shriver led the way for the Berg with 23 points, while Szalay and Brian Schmidt (Hinckley, Ohio / Brunswick) added 13 apiece. Andrew Lemmon (Port Clinton, Ohio / Port Clinton) led the way on the glass with eight rebounds.

Baldwin-Wallace was led by Tori Davis with a game-high 24 points. Chad Clark contributed 14 points, while Andrew Bene and Brendan Schuler each pulled down six boards.

In the first half, Heidelberg jumped on the scoreboard at 4-2 with 18:05 on the clock, but Baldwin-Wallace outscored the Berg 10-2 to take a 12-6 lead at the 15:00 mark. Baldwin-Wallace extended its first half lead to as many as 10 points, but a three-pointer from Jake Hessey (Crestline, Ohio / Colonel Crawford) brought the lead back to single digits with 8:44 to play before intermission. The B-W lead remained at single digits, with the Berg pulling within one on three occasions.

Heidelberg opened up the second half on an 8-0 run capped by back-to-back treys from Shriver and Matt Eberle (Grove City, Ohio / Central Crossing) to swing a 31-28 halftime deficit to a 36-31 Heidelberg lead. The Berg extended its lead to as many as 10 points, 49-39, at the 14:00 mark, but the Yellow Jackets fought back and hit two from long range to knot the score at 60-60 with 5:24 on the clock.

The score was tied on two more occasions, with B-W breaking a 67-67 tie to regain the scoreboard on two free throws from Davis with 2:04 on the clock. The lead changed hands on two more occasions before a Davis jumper knotted the score for the ninth time of the game at 72-72 with seven seconds on the clock. The Berg went the length of the floor and Szalay took over from the top of the key for the OAC win.

Heidelberg, under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Duane Sheldon, returns to action against Wilmington Jan. 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.