SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The No. 19 ranked Marietta College men's basketball team dropped an 83-70 decision at Wittenberg University on Saturday (Dec. 30) in the Kiwanis Holiday Classic. The Pioneers fall to 8-3 on the season, while the Tigers head into 2018 with a perfect 11-0 record.
Marietta was plagued by an ice cold shooting performance in the second half. The Pioneers shot 27% from the floor after halftime and scored just two points during an 11-minute stretch.
Wittenberg capitalized on Marietta's shooting woes and stretched a two-point lead into a 17-point advantage, 58-41, with six minutes left in the game.
The Pioneers battled back and cut the lead to seven, 77-70, on a jumper from
Anthony Wallace (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) with 54 seconds remaining. But Marietta was forced to foul and Wittenberg hit six straight foul shots in the final seconds to secure the win.
Marietta got off to a strong start scoring the first six points of the game. An old-fashioned three-point play from
DeVaughn Wingard (Warrensville Heights, Ohio/Orange) extended the Pioneer lead to 11 points, 21-10, midway through the first half.
The Tigers responded with a 15-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 25-23. A three-pointer from
Dillon Young (Laurelville, Ohio/Logan Elm) and a layup from
Kyle Dixon (Poland, Ohio/Poland Seminary) put the Pioneers back in front. MC led 36-35 at the break.
Young led all scorers with 21 points.
Caleb Hoyng (Celina, Ohio/Celina) returned to the starting lineup and finished with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Both Young and Hoyng were named to the all-tournament team.
Dixon chipped in with nine points, while
Avery Williams (Nashport, Ohio/Tri-Valley) and
Mel Shuler (Columbus, Ohio/Tree of Life Christian) added eight points apiece.
James Johnson scored 16 points to lead four Tigers in double figures. Jacob Bertemes had 14 points and Chad Roy notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Connor Seipel finished with 12 points and seven boards.
Roy was named the classic's Most Valuable Player and Johnson earned all-tournament honors.
For the game, Marietta shot 35.2% (25-of-71) from the floor, 21.4% (6-of-28) from three-point range and 66.7% (14-of-21) at the free throw line. The Tigers were 27-of-62 (43.5%) from the floor, 4-of-11 (36.4%) behind the arc and 25-of-31 (80.6%) at the line.
Wittenberg won the battle of the boards, 48-34. Marietta committed 14 turnovers, while the Tigers turned the ball over 17 times.
Marietta returns home to host rival Muskingum University on Wednesday (Jan. 3). Tip off in Ban Johnson Arena is set for 7 p.m.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
