WESTERVILLE, OHIO – Otterbein (0-5, 0-1 OAC) dropped its conference opener to visiting Heidelberg (4-2, 1-0) by a score of 74-59 Wednesday evening in the Rike Center.

The Cards took an early lead as junior Alan Kavanaugh gave a spark off the bench by scoring back-to-back baskets, the second giving the team a 10-6 lead at the 13:42 mark.

Heidelberg then took a 17-14 lead on a John Miller three-pointer with 9:40 showing on the first half clock, but OC freshman Derek Dicke answered with a three-pointer of his own on the ensuing possession to tie the game again.

The Student Princes then went on an 8-0 run to take a 25-17 advantage at the 6:58 mark.

Otterbein fought back and closed to within one, at 27-26, on a put back from senior Cory Ratai with 2:21 to play in the opening half.

Ratai stole the following inbounds pass, but Otterbein’s Nathan Edick misfired on a three-point attempt. Heidelberg’s Dane Givner collected the rebound and found teammate Jim Smalley at the other end for a triple, putting the Berg’ up 30-26.

The Student Princes would eventually take a 34-31 lead into intermission.

26 different players saw action in the first half, with 11 Cardinals seeing the court and Heidelberg using all 15 players.

Nine different Student Princes scored in the opening 20 minutes, with nobody tallying more than five points.

The teams played close as the second half opened, and Heidelberg’s Nate Davis gave the visitors a 45-40 advantage on a put-back dunk at the 13:11 mark.

The Cards cut the deficit to one, at 48-47, when senior Brian Pollock made a free-throw with 11:27 showing on the clock.

Otterbein hung close, and trailed by just three points at 58-55 when Pollock converted two more free throws with 7:16 remaining.

However, Heidelberg then pursued to embark on a 14-1 run over the next six minutes to take a 72-56 lead with just under two minutes to play. The Berg would eventually earn a 74-59 victory.

OC shot .333 from the floor while Heidelberg shot .549. The Cards held a slim 38-35 rebounding advantage, but hit just 5-of-24 three-point attempts.

Ratai tallied game-highs of 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Pollock’s 16 was good enough to move him over 1,000 points for his career. Having entered the game with 990, he now stands at 1,006.

Travis Kinn marked the only Student Prince in double-figures, registering 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

The team next travels to Bexley to play cross-town rival Capital on Saturday as part of a men’s and women’s double-header. Tip-off from the Capital Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.