The Heidelberg University men’s basketball team and fifth year head coach Anthony Gholson returned to Seiberling Gymnasium to resume Ohio Athletic Conference competition and battle the Muskies of Muskingum University.
The Berg entered the matchup 1-4 in the OAC and 6-6 overall after splitting their two games in Newport News, Virginia on December 28 and 29, 2012.
The Muskies came into the game winless in the OAC and 1-11 on the season.
After jumping out to a ten-point lead two-minutes into the game, the Berg would maintain control of the Muskies and roll to a 25-point victory, 92-67.
Senior big man Nate Davis (Dayton/Stivers) recorded his 14th career double-double dropping 11-points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Senior Quintin Aden Jr. (Canal Winchester/Harvest Prep.) recorded a career-high six assists against the Muskies while recording five-points.
Senior Dane Givner (Pittsburgh, PA/Harvest Prep.) had a stellar outing, scoring a season-high 28-points against Muskingum. Givner shot an impressive 13 of 15 from the floor while collecting six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Givner moves into 12th all-time on the Heidelberg men’s basketball scoring list with a career total of 1,215-points as a Student Prince.
Sophomore Jack Hart (Albany/Alexander) scored a career-high 11-points for the Berg, shooting five of six from the floor. Hart also tallied four rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal off the bench.
As a unit, the Heidelberg bench accounted for 40 of the Berg’s 92-points.
"We wanted to enjoy playing the game of basketball," said Givner. "We let the game come to us and we responded as a team. It's great confidence for us heading to Ohio Northern."
Muskingum was led by Dave Brown, who tallied 20-points and six rebounds while shooting five of six from the charity stripe.
The Berg never trailed the Muskies from the first Heidelberg bucket, which came thirty-seconds into the game with an Ishaam Smith Jr. (Richmond Heights) three-pointer.
The Student Princes jumped out to a ten-point lead with a Givner three-pointer at the 18-minute mark.
Heidelberg maintained a handsome lead over the Muskies, taking their largest lead of the first half with a Jack Hart layup, extending their advantage to 11-points.
The Muskies earned two pairs of free throws chipping the Berg lead to seven, but another Hart layup would give the Student Princes a nine-point advantage heading into the locker room at halftime.
The second half closely resembled the first with Heidelberg maintaining and steadily extending their lead until the final buzzer. With 11:11 left in the game, the Berg concluded a 9-point run with a Givner layup.
Muskingum continued their attempt to cut into the Heidelberg lead but to no avail. A jumper from freshman MJ Lotko (Elyria) would give the Student Princes a 25-point lead with 13 seconds left, resulting in the 92-67 final.
The Heidelberg men return to the court to take on the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern in OAC action on January 9, 2013. Tip-off from Ada, Ohio is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.