ALLIANCE, Ohio — The Marietta College men's basketball team battled back from a five-point halftime deficit at Mount Union College only to have a three-point in the final seconds send it home in defeat, 63-60, Wednesday (Dec. 2) night in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) road action. [Box Score]

The Pioneers (3-2, 1-1 OAC) built an 11-point lead in the second half only to see a 9-0 run by the Purple Raider (3-2, 1-0 OAC) over the last 3:07 help them steal the victory.

Marietta trailed 30-25 at the half but started the second half on a 23-7 run over the first 8 minutes to gain the lead 48-37. Mount Union battled back and eventually tied the game at 53-53 with 4:38 remaining to play. The Pioneers retook the lead and built it back to six points, 60-54, with 3:07 left in regulation, but were held scoreless in the waning minutes. With the score tied, Purple Raider guard Sam King hit a three-pointer with 6.1 seconds left to seal the Pioneers' fate and give the Purple Raiders the 63-60 victory.

Sophomore guard Joe Puch (Brunswick, Brunswick) led the Pioneers with 13 points on 5-of-9 (55.6%) shooting, including three baskets from behind the arc. Sophomore forward Zane Carter (Wellsville, Wellsville) added 10 points with four rebounds in the loss.

King led all scorers with 14 points and dished out a game-high four assists. Wes Kanavel added 13 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Ben Hodkinson chipped with 11 points, Jimmy Wood scored 10, while Matt Weir also scored 10 and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

The Pioneers are back in action on Saturday (Dec. 5) afternoon in its home opener against OAC foe Baldwin-Wallace College. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. Live statistics, video and audio will be available at http://pioneers.marietta.edu.