For the first eight minutes of Saturday's game at Seiberling Gymnasium, Heidelberg was able to stay with the No. 2 team in the country.
The Student Princes came out against Mount Union with intensity, and grabbed a 14-13 lead when Paige Rickets connected on a jumper with 11:50 left in the first half.
But then the Purple Raiders heated up, Heidelberg cooled down, and Mount Union ran off with a convincing 84-63 victory.
After Ricketts' basket, the Purple Raiders went on an 18-2 run. Maggie Miller's trey with 4:38 left capped the stretch, and gave Mount Union a 31-16 edge.
"We couldn't score," said Heidelberg coach Marcie Alberts. "I knew coming into it we'd have to play, not a perfect game, but pretty close to it. You can't give a good team opportunities and second chances, and I think during that run we gave up a lot of second or third shots ... and then we weren't able to put the ball in the hoop ourselves."
Mount Union's effort was paced by Rosa LaMattina, who had six 3-pointers, a team-best six rebounds and 26 points.
Fact Box
Mount Union 84,
Heidelberg 63
Mount Union (7-0, 2-0): Maybeth Leitch 3-0-6; Rosa LaMattina 8-4-26; Nancy Osborne 1-1-3; Tierney Allen 3-0-6; Brittany Kilgore 3-0-6; Maggie Miller 2-0-5; Annie Bova 6-0-16; Olivia Holt 0-0-0; Shayna Panchik 0-0-0; Kensie Kimble 1-0-2; Amanda Turner 1-0-2; Katie Reed 0-0-0; Abby Wemhoff 0-0-0; Aly Daniel 5-0-10; Bridget Lyons 0-0-0; Chandler Moore 0-0-0; Sarah Grippi 0-0-0; Megan Saunders 0-0-0; Jessie Baldridge 1-0-2. Totals: 34-5-84.
Heidelberg (3-3, 0-2): Jordan Ickes 1-3-5; Emily Giel 1-0-3; Paige Ricketts 4-2-13; Kathleen Phillips 8-0-18; Megan Miller 6-2-15; Allie Hawkins 0-1-1; Nicole Payne 1-1-3; Kyra Dorney 0-0-0; Erin Pacholski 0-0-0; Christina Neal 0-0-0; Erin Sims 2-0-5. Totals: 22-9-63.
Halftime:?Mount Union 38-25
Field goals: Mount Union 34-70; Heidelberg 22-57.
Foul Shots: Mount Union 5-8; Heidelberg 9-14.
3-point goals: Mount Union 11-29 (LaMattina 6-8, Bova 4-7, Miller 1-2, Turner 0-3, Osborne 0-3, Wemhoff 0-1, Moore 0-1, Holt 0-1, Panchik 0-1, Kimble 0-1); Heidelberg 8-21 (Ricketts 3-6, Phillips 2-4, Miller 1-4, Giel 1-3, Sims 1-1, Zachrich 0-1, Ickes 0-1).
Rebounds: Mount Union 39 (LaMattina 6); Heidelberg 28 (Ickes 9).
Turnovers: Mount Union 16; Heidelberg 19.
Assists: Mount Union 16, Heidelberg 11.
"That's an All-American for you," Mount Union coach Suzy Venet said. "That's a senior who's focused and determined, and she made a bunch of big shots."
Mount Union also got a superb effort off the bench from Annie Bova, a freshman. Bova connected on four 3-pointers and had 16 points.
"Sometimes with freshmen it's up and down," Venet said. "It was pretty up for her in that second half."
Kathleen Phillips led Heidelberg with 18 points, while Rickets had 13 points and three steals. Megan Miller, a Columbian graduate, had 15 points.
Heidelberg dropped its third game in a row, falling to 3-3, 0-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
"It's just a matter of getting that confidence back," Alberts said. "Winning makes you feel good about yourself, it goes a long way. When you're winning, shots seem to go down more often. We didn't make them today, and against a good team you've got to knock them down."
Mount Union improved to 7-0, 2-0 in the OAC.
Willard graduate Aly Daniel scored 10 points for the Raiders.
