Heidelberg Claims OAC Tournament Championship

2/28/2026 11:11:44 PM

Heidelberg Claims OAC Tournament Championship with 82–75 Win Over Otterbein

Game Recap

The Heidelberg Student Princes captured the 2026 Ohio Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament title with an 82–75 victory over the Otterbein Cardinals Saturday evening.

Heidelberg shot an efficient 56.6 percent from the field and used a strong first-half performance to build momentum, earning its first OAC Tournament championship since 2008 and securing the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.

How It Happened

The Student Princes set the tone early, using balanced scoring and interior production to take a 39–29 lead into halftime. Heidelberg connected on 55.6 percent of its shots in the opening 20 minutes, including five three-pointers, while outscoring Otterbein 26–17 midway through the half during a key stretch.

Otterbein responded in the second half behind an improved perimeter attack, knocking down 11 three-pointers after the break. The Cardinals trimmed the deficit to as few as three points in the final minute after a late three-pointer made it 78–75 with 18 seconds remaining. Heidelberg, however, remained composed at the free-throw line down the stretch. The Student Princes converted 11-of-13 second-half free throws — including key makes in the final 30 seconds — to secure the 82–75 championship victory.

Heidelberg dominated the paint, holding a 46–30 scoring advantage inside, and received 32 points from its bench in a complete team effort.

Top Performers

Heidelberg

Jarveil Gainey led the way with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added nine rebounds.
Marcos Vazquez finished with 18 points and four rebounds.
Abba Lawal provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Otterbein

Julian Heckman paced the Cardinals with 20 points and 9 rebounds, connecting on 4 three-pointers.
Reece Huber added 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Micah Germany contributed 12 points, including 4 three-pointers.

Noteworthy

This marked Heidelberg’s 8^th appearance in an OAC championship game and it’s second OAC tournament title. With the victory, Heidelberg earns the OAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament.
This is Otterbein’s 18^th appearance in an OAC championship game and finished as the OAC regular season runner-up with a 13-3 record. The Cardinals will await the NCAA selection show on Monday to see if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament.