Men's Basketball advances to OAC Finals with 81-75 victory over Muskingum
By Tim Glon
ADA — 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 pm 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.
