MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's basketball team secured its first win of the season over Washington and Jefferson College, 59-57 on Wednesday (Nov. 20) evening inside Ban Johnson Arena. With the win the Pioneers improve to 1-2 overall and the loss drops the Presidents to 3-1 on the season.
"We always know W&J is going to be a test for us. They are well coached and have great players," said Head Coach
Kole Vivian. "I am glad we made enough plays down the stretch to get our first win of the year. Devin was able to keep us in the game by scoring and we did a great job on the glass. Marlo had an absolutely huge board off a missed free throw. All those small plays like that added up to our first win."
The opening five minutes of the first quarter where a back and forth battle with Marietta leading 8-7. The early Pioneer offense was sparked by
Devin Hefner (Parkersburg, Wv/Parkersburg South) as she tallied six of the eight points, with
Luce Duritza (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) knocking down a layup early on. Washington and Jefferson went on a 6-0 run that saw them take a 12-8 edge, which forced a Pioneers timeout with just over a minute to play in the first quarter.
Jill Congrove (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) scored the final bucket of the quarter, and Marietta entered the second quarter behind 12-10.
The Presidents took a 17-13 edge early in the second quarter, but the Pioneers answered with a 7-0 run. The run was started by a jumper from
Alexis Enochs (Beverly, Ohio/Fort Frye), and capped by a three pointer from Congrove off an assist from Enochs, to put Marietta on top 20-17, with 6:10 minutes to play in the half. After the Pioneers held a 23-19 edge, Washington and Jefferson answered with a 6-0 run to hold a 25-23 edge with 10 seconds to play in the half. Enochs grabbed an offensive rebound, and made a put back layup to tie the game at 25 points apiece at the intermission.
The teams traded baskets through the first six minutes of the third quarter, and the game remained deadlocked 36-36. The early third quarter offense was sparked by
Kate Liston (Little Hocking, Ohio/) as she tallied four of the 11 points. After each team held a slim lead, the Presidents scored the final three points of the quarter and entered the final frame ahead, 39-37.
The Pioneers wasted little time to take the lead in the fourth quarter when Hefner knocked down a three on the opening possession of the quarter. Marietta continued to stretch its lead with a 7-2 run to notch a 47-41 edge, which forced a Washington and Jefferson timeout. The run was highlighted by an old fashioned three-point play from Duritza. Out of the break, a pair of Presidents buckets forced a Pioneers timeout with just over five minutes to play in the game.
Out of the timeout, Washington and Jefferson was able to take a 50-49 lead. Marietta quickly responded with a 6-0 run that saw them grab a 55-50 advantage with just under three minutes to play in the game. The quick run was highlighted by a pair of the three pointers from Congrove and Liston. The Presidents clawed all the way back and with seven seconds to play they hit three foul shots to tie the game at 57 points apiece. With a second remaining Hefner knocked down a pair of foul shots to win the game, 59-57.
The Pioneers were led by Hefner, as she led all scorers with a career high 22 points, and also pulled down seven rebounds. Congrove added 13 points on 3-5 shooting from behind the arc.
Marlo Taylor (Kimbolton, Ohio/Cambridge) led the way for the Pioneers with nine rebounds, and also had a team leading five assists.
Marietta will return to the hardwood Saturday (Nov. 23) when they host Ohio Wesleyan University, with tip off scheduled for 3 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.
