MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College men's basketball team tied the 1908-09 and 1974-75 Pioneer squads for the best start in school history and took over sole possession of first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 72-54 win over visiting Otterbein University Saturday (Dec. 11) afternoon inside Ban Johnson Arena. [Box Score]

Junior wing #Trevor Halter (Malvern/Malvern)# led the Pioneers (7-0, 3-0 OAC) in scoring with 15 points while adding three streals. Sophomore guard #Jacob Owens (Mansfield/Mansfield)# went 4-of-7 from three-point range and added 14 points. Junior post #Kevin Knab (Lakewood/Lakewood)# chipped in with 10 points and a tied classmate post #Conner Kilpatrick (Bowling Green/Bowling Green)# with a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman guard #Tyler Hammond (Cleveland/St. Ignatius)# also contributed seven points, eight assists and three steals without a turnover, while sophomore guard #Tyler Worstell (Prospect/Franklin Heights)# had eight points and three assists and sophomore post #J.J. Martin (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington)# had seven points.

Brice Rausch paced Otterbein (2-5, 0-3 OAC) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Davis also contributed a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Zach Bakenhaster chipped in with 10 points and C.J. Julian had nine points and eight boards in the loss.

Marietta, who led 35-23 at the break, separated itself by outscoring Otterbein 24-0 on the break and 28-8 in points off turnovers.

After the Cardinals brought the lead down to five, 48-43, with 10:26 left in the half, the Pioneers went on a 21-3 run over the next five minutes to lead 68-46 with 4:50 to play in regulation. The spurt was capped by two highlight reel plays. Halter stole the ball and delivered a fast break dunk. Otterbein's next possession also resulted in a turnover, which led one-handed jam from sophomore #Jason Humphrey (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier)#. The momentum helped propel the Pioneers to the 72-54 victory.

The Pioneers finished the game 30-of-66 (45.5%) from the field, including 10-of-22 (45.5%) from three, and 2-of-4 (50.0%) from the free throw line. Otterbein shot 21-of-55 (38.2%) from the field, 3-of-11 (27.3%) from long range and 9-of-18 (50.0%) from the charity stripe. The Cardinals held a 43-34 advantage on the boards but committed 22 turnovers to the Pioneers' 11.

Marietta returns to action Wednesday (Dec. 15) night with a non-conference trip to Waynesburg (Pa.). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.