MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle to the University of Mount Union, 74-68 on Friday (Feb. 19) evening inside Ban Johnson Arena. With the loss the Pioneers fall to 5-4 overall and 5-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, and with the win the Purple Raiders improve to 5-4 overall and 5-4 in OAC play.
"We couldn't find the stops when we really needed to in the fourth quarter," said Head Coach
Kole Vivian. "We accomplished a lot of our game goals, but we didn't rebound in the fourth quarter and we couldn't keep them out of the lane".
Mount Union scored the first four points of the game, but Marietta responded quickly with a three from
Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) and a layup from
Hannah Schill (Rootstown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) to lead 5-4 early in the quarter. The game remained tight midway through the opening frame, but the Purple Raiders led 12-9. The Pioneers kept the game close with timely layups from
Jill Congrove (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm), Mackenzie Wilson, and
Jordyn Kiser (Dover, Ohio/Dover), but Marietta trailed 21-17 to enter the second quarter.
After Mount Union stretch its lead to 28-21 to open the second frame, the Pioneers responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 28 points apiece. The run was sparked by a jumper from
Camille Cummins (MIddlefield, Ohio/Cardinal), kept alive by a pair of foul shots from
Erin Hahn (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville), and capped by a three from
Kelly Levering (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty). After back to back buckets from the Purple Raiders, Marietta went on an 8-0 run and took a 36-32 advantage late in the second quarter. The run was started by a three from Congrove, and highlighted by a put back layup from Wilson. The Pioneers held on to the lead, and led 39-37 at the intermission.
Mount Union opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run and regained a 43-39 advantage, at the 8:35 minute mark of the quarter. Later in the quarter, the Purple Raiders held a 50-45 edge, but Marietta answered with a 7-0 run to take a 52-50 lead at the 2:57 minute mark of the quarter. The run was started by a pair of foul shots from
Kate Liston (Little Hocking, Ohio/Warren Local), highlighted by a three-point play from Levering, and capped by a pair of foul shots from Cummins. The Pioneers maintained their lead, and held a 55-54 edge to enter the final frame.
Early in the fourth quarter the game was tied at 58-58, but the Purple Raiders went on a 5-0 run that saw them take a 63-58 edge at the 6:34 minute mark of the quarter. The run was halted by a layup from Wilson. After Mount Union extended its lead to 71-61, Marietta answered with a 7-0 run to trim the lead to 71-68 with 38 seconds to play. The run was led by five points from Schill. The Pioneers could not complete to comeback and fell, 74-68.
Marietta was led by Schill, she had a team high 11 points, and had a career high in assists with six assists. Wilson was big on the boards, as she set a career high with 12 rebounds. Hahn also pulled down double digit boards with 11 and had nine points.
Marietta will return to the court Saturday (Feb. 20) when they travel to take on the University of Mount Union, 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.
