MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's basketball team was victorious over Ohio Wesleyan University, 68-63 inside Ban Johnson Arena on Saturday (Nov. 23) evening. The win improves the Pioneers record 2-2 overall and the Battling Bishops fall to 1-3 overall.
"It is never easy, but I am really proud of our defense and rebounding after the first quarter. Alexis came to play today and was huge for us," said Head Coach
Kole Vivian. "Kate made some big shots, and Marlo didn't have a big scoring day, but we asked her to do a lot in the second half, and her will really pushed us to the win. Great win to go into a 10 day break."
The game started when the teams traded baskets, and the game was all square at 7-7 four minutes into the first quarter. The early Marietta offense was sparked by
Alexis Enochs (Beverly, Ohio/Fort Frye) as she had six of the seven Pioneers points. Ohio Wesleyan took a 17-9 lead with a 10-2 run that spanned two and half minutes and forced a Marietta timeout. The Battling Bishops scored the final points of the quarter, and led 19-9 to enter the second quarter.
Ohio Wesleyan scored the opening four points of the quarter, to stretch its lead to 23-9. The Pioneers responded with a 16-0 that saw them grab a 25-23 advantage with three minutes to play in the half. The run sparked by
Devin Hefner (Parkersburg, Wv/Parkersburg South) as she scored the first five points of the run.
Kate Liston (Little Hocking, Ohio/) and
Marlo Taylor (Kimbolton, Ohio/Cambridge) added to the run as Liston hit a three pointer and Taylor converted an and one. The run was capped by an old fashioned three-point play from Enochs. The teams entered the intermission deadlocked at 27 points apiece.
After the Battling Bishops scored the opening bucket of the third quarter, Marietta went on a 9-0 run that saw them take a 38-31 edge, and forced an Ohio Wesleyan timeout. The run was started by a
Luce Duritza (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) layup and finished off by seven points from Enochs. The teams battled for the remainder of the third quarter, and Marietta led 49-43 to enter the final frame.
The Pioneers carried their momentum over to the fourth quarter, as they opened the final frame on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 55-43 with eight minutes to play in the game. The run was sparked by a pair of old fashioned three-point plays from
Jill Congrove (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) and Liston. Marietta led 57-49 behind an
Emma Cannon (Wooster, Ohio/Dalton) free throw with just over six minutes remaining in the game.
The Battling Bishops responded to trim the Pioneers advantage to 59-57, behind a quick 8-2 run that ended with just over three minutes to play in the game. Marietta was able to put the game on ice at the free throw line, as Congrove and Hefner knocked down foul shots with under a minute to play in the game. The Pioneers won the game, 68-63.
The Pioneers were led by Enochs as she notched her first double-double of the season with 23 points, and 10 rebounds. Liston added a career high 12 points and six rebounds. Hefner pitched in with 10 points and career high six steals in the game.
Marietta will return to the court Tuesday (Dec. 3) when they travel to take on Thiel College, with tip off scheduled 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.
