WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Marietta College men's basketball team earned a 76-70 overtime road win against Wilmington College on Friday (Feb. 12) evening. The win improves the Pioneers record to 4-1 overall and 4-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference and with the loss the Quakers fall to 2-5 overall and 2-5 in OAC play.
"We didn't play very well tonight but we definitely showed some resiliency and made enough plays down the stretch," Marietta head coach Jon vanderWal said. "Shots were not falling tonight but we executed extremely well down the stretch and in overtime."
After
Lukas Isaly (Clarington, Ohio/River) made a layup on Marietta's opening possession, Wilmington went on a 7-0 run to take a 7-2 edge at the 16:14 minute mark of the opening half. The run was halted by free throws from
Kyle Matoszkia (Johnstown, Ohio/Johnstown) and
Sahmi Willoughby (Groveport, Ohio/Reynoldsburg).
The Pioneers regained the lead on the strength of a 10-0 run, to hold a 14-9 advantage with just under 12 minutes to play in the half. The run was highlighted by
Jac Alexander (Port Clinton, Ohio/Oak Harbor), as he scored eight of the 10 points during the rally.
Later in the half the Quakers battled back and used an 8-1 run to take a 29-26 lead at the 3:45 minute mark of the half. Willoighby ended the Quaker run with a layup. The game remained tight for the rest of the half and Marietta trailed 35-32 at the intermission.
The teams traded baskets to open the second half, but the Pioneers still trailed 41-35, five minutes into the half. Later in the period, Marietta went on a 10-0 run to regain a 51-44 advantage with 10 minutes to play in the game. The run was sparked by five points from
Tim Kreeger (Delphos, Ohio/Delphos St. Johns) and capped by an old fashioned three-point play from
Jason Ellis (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding).
Wilmington immediately answered with eight straight points to take back the lead, 52-51, at the eight minute mark of the half. Neither team was able to build much of a lead down the stretch and the game was deadlocked at 64 points apiece at the end of regulation.
After each team scored early in the overtime period, the Pioneers went on a quick 5-0 run to take a 73-68 edge with a minute to play in the extra period. The run included points from Ellis, Kreeger and Isaly. The spurt was all the space Marietta needed and they won the game 76-70.
Ellis led the way for the Pioneers with 16 points and was a perfect 7-7 at the foul line. Alexander pitched in with 16 points off the bench. Isaly and Kreeger each finished in double digits with 13 and 11 points respectively.
Brett Martin (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon Washington) led the way for Marietta on the glass with seven rebounds.
The Pioneers will return to the hardwood Saturday (Feb. 13) when they host Wilmington College, with tip off scheduled for 6 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.
