BEREA, Ohio — A double-double from
Sahmi Willoughby (Groveport, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) in the second half led No. 10 ranked Marietta College to an 83-71 come from behind win over Baldwin Wallace University Sunday (Dec. 12) afternoon. The Pioneers improve to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Baldwin Wallace falls to 5-3 on the season and 1-2 in the OAC.
"BW outcompeted and outplayed us in the first half. We were fortunate to only be down 7," Marietta head coach
Jon VanderWal said. "We made a few adjustments at half and our guys responded. Our effort was a lot better, and we played with a sense of urgency."
Willoughby finished the game with 15 points and 22 rebounds, both career highs, notching his second career double-double. The 22 rebounds were one short of the school single game record. He also had three blocked shots and three steals.
Willoughby dominated the paint in the second half scoring 10 points and grabbing 17 boards. He had 10 offensive and 17 total rebounds in the second half while Baldwin Wallace managed 11 total rebounds as a team.
"Sahmi was a difference maker today," VanderWal said. "He single-handedly changed that game with relentless effort on the glass and it really sparked our group."
After exchanging small leads through the first nine minutes of the game, Baldwin Wallace went on an 8-0 run over a two-minute span to build a double-digit lead, 27-17. Jake Snyder drained a pair of three-pointers to lead the Yellow Jacket spurt.
Anthony Mazzeo hit a triple at the 7:59 mark to give BW its biggest lead of the day, 30-19. Mazzeo finished the game with six three-pointers and a game-high 23 points.
Marietta used a 7-0 run to cut the margin to four points, 32-28, with 3:17 left in the first half. The Pioneers trailed 37-30 at halftime.
The Pioneers turned up the intensity to start the second half and opened the period with a 14-3 run to grab a four-point lead, 44-40, five minutes into the half.
Jason Ellis (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) and
Mason Lydic (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Woodridge) each scored five points during the MC run.
Over the next eight minutes the teams traded the lead six times. A layup from BW's Drew Wennes at the 7:16 mark tied the game at 59-59.
Marietta, led by seven points from
Lukas Isaly (Clarington, Ohio/River), scored the next nine points to finally take control of the game. The Yellow Jackets got within five points, but the Pioneers held on for the 83-71 road victory.
Isaly led the Pioneers with 19 points. Lydic scored 15 points, while Ellis chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds.
In addition to Mazzeo's 23 points, Wennes had 15 points and Snyder finished with 12. Snyder and Christian Pfeiffer each had five rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.
Marietta returns home to host Otterbein University on Wednesday (Dec. 15). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Ban Johnson Arena.
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.
