MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's basketball team was in action Saturday (Dec. 28) as they hosted Muskingum University inside Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers defeated the Muskies, 100-61. With the win Marietta improves to 8-3 overall and 3-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) while Muskingum falls to 1-11 overall and 0-5 in OAC play.
Head Coach
Kole Vivian said, "We had a few goals coming into the game and one of them was playing Pioneer basketball. We shared the ball really well, and the best part of the game was the way they celebrated each others accomplishments."
The Pioneers opened the game on a 7-2 run that spanned the first two and a half minutes of the game. Marietta was led by a pair of layups from
Alexis Enochs (Beverly, Ohio/Fort Frye) and
Corrie Burkhardt (Zanesville, Ohio/Philo), and the run was capped by a
Marlo Taylor (Kimbolton, Ohio/Cambridge) three pointer. The Muskies cut into the Pioneers led throughout the first quarter and trailed 12-10 with just over five minutes remaining in the opening frame. After two minutes of scoreless action, Marietta broke the scoring drought when
Cheyenne Barker (Belpre, Ohio/Belpre) scored five consecutive points and the Pioneers entered the second quarter ahead, 20-13.
Marietta opened the second quarter on a 12-4 run that spanned the first three minutes of the quarter, and forced a Muskingum timeout. The run was sparked by
Jill Congrove (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) as she scored or assisted on seven of the 12 points during the run. Out of the break, the Pioneers went on a 7-1 run and extended their advantage to 39-18.
Shay Lett (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe), Enochs, and
Jo Herd-Middlebrooks (Columbus, Ohio/DeSales) all scored during the run. Marietta continued its strong play and entered the intermission ahead, 46-25.
The third quarter opened as a back and forth battle as the Pioneers held a 53-29 edge with just over seven minutes remaining in the quarter. Marietta stretched its lead to 61-30 with an 8-1 run, at the 5:22 mark of the third quarter. The run was led by
Bailee Brooks (Akron, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls) as she scored six of the eight points during the run. The Muskies answered back with a 7-0 run and cut the Pioneers lead to 65-39 with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter. Congrove hit a three pointer for Marietta as time expired in the third quarter, and the Pioneers entered the fourth quarter ahead, 76-43.
Marietta continued to pull away in the final frame and stretched out their largest lead of the night 93-50, when Enochs converted a layup off an assist from
Kate Liston (Little Hocking, Ohio/). The Pioneers wrapped up the game and won the game 100-61.
"We are a big family and it showed tonight against a conference opponent", concluded Coach Vivian.
Marietta was led by Enochs as she had her second double-double on the season with 19 points, and 13 rebounds. The 13 rebounds are a career high. Burkhardt added 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds in the game. Brooks pitched in with 12 points, and a game high five assists for the Pioneers. Lett added 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Herd-Middlebrooks set a career high in rebounds with 11, and Congrove notched a career high in points with 10.
This is the fourth time in program history the Pioneers have scored 100 or more points and the first time since the 2013-14 season. All players scored for the Pioneers in the game.
Marietta will return to the hardwood Wednesday (Jan. 2) when they travel to take on Baldwin Wallace University, with the game set to tip at 5 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.
