NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Junior post #
Matt Napier (Powell/Olentangy Liberty)# scored a career-high 16 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds as Marietta College defeated Muskingum University 88-73 Monday (Dec. 17) evening. The Pioneers improve to 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Muskies fall to 0-9 and 0-4 in the OAC.
Marietta's bench outscored Muskingum 32-17 with Napier leading the way for the Pioneer subs. The Pioneers also score 40 points in the paint to 24 for the Muskies.
Following a 13-13 tie five minutes into the game, Marietta went on a 29-8 run to take a 21-point lead, 42-21, with 6:49 left in the opening period. The Pioneers took a 51-34 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
As is normal in a rivalry game, Muskingum fought back in the second period. The Muskies trimmed the Pioneer lead to one, 57-56, with a 22-6 run in the first seven minutes of the second half.
A Muskingum layup with 11:10 on the clock knotted the game at 60-60. The Pioneers weathered the storm and responded with a 21-7 run to retake control of the game.
Senior #
J.J. Martin (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington)# and sophomore #
Brennan McKean (Jeromesville, Ohio/Northwestern)# each scored 18 points to lead Marietta. McKean hit four from behind the three-point arc. Junior #
Tyler Hammond (Cleveland/St. Ignatius)# added eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
Michael Klamo scored 16 points to lead five Muskies in double figures. Clay Owings notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Christian Keller added 14 points for Muskingum.
Marietta shot 47.0% (31-of-66) from the floor, 47.6% (10-of-21) from three-point range and 66.7% (16-of-24) at the line. Muskingum hit 24-of-68 (35.3%) from the floor, 6-of-19 (31.6%) behind the arc and 19-of-25 (76.0%) at the line.
Muskingum won the battle of the boards 48-36, including a 19-9 edge in offensive rebounds. The Muskies turned the ball over 12 times, while Marietta committed just five.
Marietta is off until after Christmas. The Pioneers play Geneva College (Pa.) in the College of Wooster Tournament on Friday (Dec. 28) at 5:30 p.m. Fans can catch the action live at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter.
