MARIETTA, Ohio – No. 16 Marietta College had four players in double figures as the Pioneers defeated Ohio Northern University by the score of 93-61 Saturday (Feb. 8) afternoon in Ban Johnson Arena. Marietta improves to 18-3 overall and 12-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Polar Bears fall to 6-15 overall and 2-12 in conference play.
"It was a good day. Winter Weekend is great to have all of the alumni back and see all of those guys that we went to battle with for so many years. It's just really special," Marietta head coach
Jon VanderWal said. "I'm really happy that we played well today. We beat them 60-33 on the glass and had some guys step up. Christian (James) was huge today. He has been struggling a little bit lately so it was nice to see him have a great game."
The game started as a tight battle with Marietta on top 10-9 five minutes into the game. The Pioneers were led by six points from
Tim Kreeger (Delphos, Ohio/Delphos St. Johns) and a bucket each from
Jason Ellis (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) and
Lukas Isaly (Clarington, Ohio/River). Ohio Northern notched an 18-12 edge at the 11:10 minute mark behind a 10-2. The run forced a Marietta timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Pioneers regained their momentum and opened up a 17-2 run that forced a Polar Bear timeout with six minutes to play in the half. The run was highlighted by three-point shooting as Ellis,
Caleb Hoyng (Celina, Ohio/Celina), and
Mason Lydic (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Woodridge) all connected from deep, to put Marietta on top 29-20.
The Pioneers closed out the half behind a pair of baskets from
Jake Montgomery (Westerville, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and
Christian James (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) to lead, 43-34 at the intermission. Kreeger led Marietta at the half with 10 points, and six rebounds.
The Pioneers opened the second half on a 12-5 run that saw their lead swell to 55-39, forcing another Ohio Northern timeout, five minutes into the half. The run was a well-rounded attack as Kreeger, Ellis, and Hoyng scored during the surge.
The teams battled through the middle of the second half, and Marietta maintained a 69-52 advantage with just under nine minutes to play in the game. James lead the Pioneer offense during the stretch with eight points.
Marietta did not allow the Polar Bears to get back into the game. Buckets from
Jalen Greiser (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland),
Sahmi Willoughby (Groveport, Ohio/Reynoldsburg), and
Brennen Crawford (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kiski School) helped put the game on ice for the Pioneers. Marietta won the game, 93-61.
The Pioneers were led by Kreeger as he notched his second double-double on the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Hoyng tallied his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the game. James had a team leading 16 points to with five assists. Ellis added 10 points.
ONU's Brandon Waugh led all scorers with 19 points. CJ Napier added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Thomas Phillips grabbed a team-high nine boards.
Marietta will return to the court Wednesday (Feb. 12) when they host the No. 14 ranked University of Mount Union in a battle for the top spot in the OAC standings. Tip off is scheduled for 7 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.
