WILMINGTON — The Wilmington College men’s basketball team fell to Ohio Northern University 68-64 in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest at Fred Raizk Arena Wednesday evening.

The Polar Bears hit their first four shots to build an 11-2 lead two minutes into the game. The Fightin’ Quakers, however, battled back to within 13-12 thanks to a 10-2 run capped by a three from Jeffery Mansfield at the 15:10 mark of the first half.

ONU stretched it back up to as many as eight points and took a 33-26 lead into halftime as CJ Napier made a layup with 12 seconds left in the period.

Wilmington found itself trailing 44-31 five minutes into the second half, forcing a timeout by head coach K.C. Hunt. The Quakers hung around a 6-8-point deficit for the next 10 minutes and make one final push in the last three minutes. Trailing 64-57, two Noah Dado free throws cut the deficit to five, and after a stop, Mansfield made a jumper to pull the hosts within a single possession at 64-61 with 46 seconds to play.

After a timeout, WC came out in full-court pressure, and unintentionally fouled when trying to force a turnover. Brandon Waugh made 1-of-2 from the line, and ONU hit the rest of its free throws to seal the win.

Mansfield led all scorers with 20 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and four steals while Dado added 14 points and seven boards. Collmann Aaron also scored in double figures for Wilmington.

The Quakers continue conference play by hosting Heidelberg University 4 p.m. Saturday.