The Ohio Northern University men's basketball team advances to OAC finals on Saturday. Meanwhile, the women's team bowed out in its semi-final contest. The recap of both games follow.
By Tim Glon
Sophomore Grant Heileman (Millersport/Sheridan) scored a career-high 21 points to lead the Ohio Northern men's basketball team to an 81-75 victory over Muskingum in the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday night at the ONU Sports Center.
The fifth-seeded Polar Bears (5-6 overall) advance to the OAC Tournament finals on Saturday and will play at top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Marietta at 7 p.m. at Ban Johnson Fieldhouse.
The sixth-seeded Muskies end their season with a 5-9 record.
Junior Brandon Waugh (Columbus/Northland) had his third career double-double with a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds and sophomores Landen Long (Mason), Adam Scott (Wapakoneta) and Daniel Unruh (Elida) added 11 points each for ONU.
Scott also added a career-best 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
Leading 34-33 at halftime, Ohio Northern opened the second half on a 10-0 run to open up a 44-33 lead with 4:44 gone in the period.
The ONU lead bounced between six and 11 points for the next 12 minutes until a quick 8-0 run got the Muskies within 74-73 with 1:20 to play.
But Waugh answered with a clutch 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining to extend the lead to 77-73.
Northern defense got a stop and Heileman made one of two free throws at the 39-second mark and it was 78-73.
Alex Masinelli scored with 33 ticks left to get MU within 78-75 and a quick ONU turnover gave the ball back to the Muskies with 25 seconds left.
The Polar Bear defense stiffened, forcing a Muskingum air-ball with 22 seconds to go. Long then made 3-of-4 free throws to ice the contest and get ONU into the championship game for the second time in the past four years.
Ohio Northern made 21-of-57 field goal attempts for 36.8 percent and was 8-of-18 from 3-point range for 44.4 percent. Muskingum was 28-of-68 from the floor for 41.2 percent and was 6-of-27 from beyond the arc for 22.2 percent.
ONU out-rebounded MU 47-37 and Heileman added eight boards to his 21 points.
Women's game
By Andrew Loewe
Ohio Northern got off to a slow start and fell 69-38 in the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at No. 14 John Carroll Thursday night at the DeCarlo Center.
Seventh-seeded ONU finishes its season with a 7-8 record overall as top-seeded JCU advances to the OAC Championship and improves to 12-2.
Junior Annie Weckesser (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) led the Polar Bears in scoring with six points off the bench.
John Carroll's Olivia Nagy led all scorers with 17 points.
The Blue Streaks stormed out of the gates on a 14-0 run and held ONU scoreless for the first 9:58 of the game.
John Carroll closed the second half on a 7-0 run to lead 33-14 at intermission and was not threatened.
Northern made 14-of-59 field goals for 38.8 percent and was 3-of-23 from 3-point range for 13.0 percent, while JCU made 30-of-62 field goals for 48.4 percent and made 7-of-21 from beyond the arc for 33.3 percent.
The Blue Streaks out rebounded the Polar Bears 49-32.
This marks the fifth consecutive season that the Polar Bears reached the semifinals of the OAC Tournament.
