Mount Union basketball teams open Ohio Athletic Conference play at Heidelberg on Saturday

Staff report
·3 min read

Men

The game: Mount Union visits Heidelberg at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The records: Mount Union is 5-0 and ranked No. 2 nationally by D3hoops.com defeating Wooster 94-76 on Nov. 23. Heidelberg is 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 99-83 win over Baldwin Wallace on Wednesday.

Mount Union men's basketball coach Mike Fuline goes for career win number 200 on Saturday when the Purple Raiders visit Heidelberg.
Mount Union men's basketball coach Mike Fuline goes for career win number 200 on Saturday when the Purple Raiders visit Heidelberg.

The coaches: Mike Fuline is 199-95 in his 12th season at Mount Union. Andy Bucheit is 106-120 in his 10th season at Heidelberg.

Projected starters: Mount Union: 6-3 Sr. Collen Gurley (18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game); 6-6 Jr. Christian Parker (18.6, 9.0, 0.6); 6-5 Gr. Sr. Braedon Poole (8.2, 5.0, 0.6); 6-3 Gr. Sr. Darrell Newsom (9.0, 1.2, 1.0) and 6-0 Sr. Chris Painter Jr. (4.2, 1.8, 2.6).

Heidelberg: 6-0 Sr. Tre Watkins (11.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.8 apg); 6-2 Soph. Isaiah Young (11.5, 3.2, 2.5); 5-11 Gr. Emmanuel Perdue (12.7, 4.5, 2.2); 6-10 Jr. Eric Panning (6.7, 6.2, 0.2); 6-4 Gr. Seth Hohman (9.8, 4.3, 1.3).

Notes: Heidelberg has been a formidable opponent for Mount Union over the past three seasons in which the Student Princes are 34-12. Mount Union is 36-9 over the same span. The teams split last season’s two regular-season games, each winning on the other’s home floor. The Purple Raiders won 68-65 in the OAC tournament semifinals. … Dylan Woods, who graduated, especially tormented the Purple Raiders, but Hohman, Perdue, Panning and Young have had some big games against Mount Union. … Conversely, Parker averaged 20.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season vs. Heidelberg. … The Purple Raiders lead the all-time series 95-57.

Next: Mount Union hosts John Carroll at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Women

The game: Mount Union travels to Heidelberg at 4 p.m. Saturday.

The records: Mount Union is 3-3 after losing to Oberlin 79-64 on Tuesday. Heidelberg is 1-5 overall and 0-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, losing 54-41 to Baldwin Wallace on Wednesday.

Mount Union's Emma Cannon is ranked third in the Ohio Athletic Conference in free throw shooting.
Mount Union's Emma Cannon is ranked third in the Ohio Athletic Conference in free throw shooting.

The coaches: Suzy Venet is 278-175 in her 18th season at Mount Union, and 289-191 overall. Rachel Ferri is 5-38 in her third season at Heidelberg.

Projected starters: Mount Union: Emma Cannon (10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.8 apg); Ali Hudik (10.2, 3.5, 2.5); Madison Hensley (8.0, 4.4, 1.0); Mckayla Dunkle (8.3, 7.5, 1.0), and Bailey Shutsa (6.3, 3.3, 1.7).

Heidelberg: 5-8 Soph. Hallie Rogers (12.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.0 apg); 5-3 Fr. Sequoia Bradley (6.2, 2.3, 0.8); 5-10 Soph. Ashley Ballard (2.0, 4.0, 0.3); 5-6 Soph. Taylor Ratliff (2.5, 2.5, 0.5); 5-9 Gr. Bailey Walter (7.7, 7.7, 0.5).

Notes: Both teams are struggling to shoot high percentages. The Purple Raiders are shooting .348 from the floor, eighth in the 10-team OAC, and Heidelberg is .323, which is last. … However, Mount Union makes up in quantity of shots, as evidenced by the fact they lead the conference in scoring (75.3). The Student Princes are last at 56.8 per game. … Mount Union’s Cannon is fourth in the OAC with 29 free throw attempts and is third in FT percentage (.812). ... Mount Union leads the all-time series 48-35.

Next: Mount Union travels to John Carroll for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Mount Union basketball plays at Heidelberg