November 18, 2000

'Berg comes from behind to win

ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Heidelberg men's basketball team trailed Denison, 55-53, with just 1:30 remaining in regulation Friday, but The 'Berg scored seven unanswered points down the stretch, giving them a 60-55 win at the Adrian Invitational Tournament to open the season.

However, the come-from-behind-win shouldn't have been necessary.

The 'Berg led 53-44 with 7:41 left in the second half. Then, Denison made a run for the win, knocking off an 11-point run for a two-point lead. Charlie Delacey scored five points and Alan Bradshaw had four during the surge.

Junior Ryan Neimic, Heidelberg's starting center, ended the Big Red's run with a free throw at the 1:17 mark. He followed that with a score on the next possession to regain the lead for good.

Neimic started the scoring just 28 seconds into the contest as Heidelberg jumped out to a 5-0 lead before forward Bobby Mehl hit a 3-pointer, putting Denison on the board.

The first half was a see-saw battle as the teams traded leads five times. Heidelberg took a 22-21 lead into halftime.

The see-saw became one-sided as The 'Berg led for the first 18:30 of the second half. Twice they built leads of 12 points, only to have Denison fight back.

Neimic scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds for The 'Berg. Senior forward Randy Evans topped Heidelberg's scorers with 18 points. He and Jon Otterbacher each led the team with four assists apiece.

Delacey led the Big Red with 15 points on the night. Tony Price also hit double digits for Denison with 11.