WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Marietta College women's basketball team opened their 2018-19 season Friday (Nov. 16) on the road at the Washington and Jefferson Tip-off Tournament. The Pioneers opened the season with a convincing 89-36 win over Salem College.
Head Coach
Kole Vivian said, "I am really happy with our energy, effort, and focus to open the season with a win. We have been talking about playing through our posts and being great on the boards, and tonight we did a great job of that".
Marietta opened the game as they scored the first 13 points. The Pioneers strong start was highlighted by a pair of three pointers from
Shay Lett (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) and
Cheyenne Barker (Belpre, Ohio/Belpre), and a pair of layups from
Corrie Burkhardt (Zanesville, Ohio/Philo). Salem made a bucket to make the score 13-2. After the bucket, Marietta rattled off a quick 7-0 run to stretch its lead to 20-2 with 4:33 minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Pioneers run was sparked by a three pointer from
Jo Herd-Middlebrooks (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) off an assist from
Jill Congrove (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm). Marietta maintained its advantage, and led 25-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pioneers opened the second quarter on 14-2 run that made the score 39-11, with just over five minutes to play the quarter. The Marietta run was propelled by
Alexis Enochs (Beverly, Ohio/Fort Frye), as she scored six points and had an assist during the run. After a Pioneers timeout, Marietta continued to pull away as they opened up an 8-2 run to take a 47-15 advantage. The Pioneers run was highlighted by
Jordyn Kiser (Dover, Ohio/Dover), as she scored four of the eight points during the run. Marietta closed out the half strong, and entered the intermission ahead, 55-19.
The Pioneers came out of the locker room ready to play, as a pair of layups from Burkhardt and Barker stretched the Marietta lead to 59-19. After a pair of made foul shots from Salem, the Pioneers went on a 12-0 run that was capped off by a
Luce Duritza (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) jumper off an assist from Lett. Marietta maintained its advantage, and entered the fourth quarter ahead 78-25.
Salem opened the fourth quarter on a 11-2 run that spanned the opening four minutes of the final quarter. The Pioneers regained their momentum to end the game on a 9-0 run. The Marietta run was led by
Mackenzie Huff (Coshocton, Ohio/River View) as she scored four of the nine.
The Pioneers were led by Burkhardt as she had 18 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Enochs pitched in with 13 points, seven rebounds, and a blocked shot in the game. Lett and Kiser each tallied 11 points in the game for Marietta.
Marlo Taylor (Kimbolton, Ohio/Cambridge) led the team in assists with four and also grabbed five rebounds. The Pioneers had 12 different players score in the game.
Marietta will return to the hardwood Saturday (Nov. 17) when they compete in the championship game of the Washington and Jefferson Tip-off Tournament against Washington and Jefferson, with the tip off scheduled for 4 p.m.
Fans can follow all of 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.
