ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Marietta College women's basketball team was eliminated from the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament by the University of Mount Union. The Purple Raiders defeated the Pioneers 76-64, in the quarterfinals.
Head Coach
Kole Vivian, "Always tough when the season ends, but I am proud of our team for competing during this season. Our seniors did a great job of building a culture and impacting our younger kids."
The game opened as a back and forth battle, as the lead changed hands eight times in the opening five minutes of play. The Pioneers led, 10-9 at the 4:40 minute mark of the quarter. The early offense was well rounded, as
Jill Congrove (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm),
Hannah Schill (Rootstown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban),
Kelly Levering (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty), and
Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) all scored. The game remained tight at the 2:11 minute mark, with Marietta on top 15-13. The Pioneers took a 20-13 edge behind a quick 5-0 run, that was started by Schill and capped by a three from Gribble. Marietta entered the second quarter ahead, 20-14.
Mount Union opened the second quarter on a 7-1 run and tied the game at 21 points apiece, two minutes into the quarter. The second quarter was a hard-fought battle, but the Purple Raiders held a 31-26 edge with a minute to play in the quarter.
Madison Cecil (Centerburg, Ohio/Highland) and Gribble scored the final buckets of the half, and the Pioneers trailed 31-30 at the intermission.
Marietta regained a 35-31 edge early in the third quarter when
Erin Hahn (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) scored the opening bucket, and Schill knocked down a three. Mount Union answered with a quick 6-0 run to take a 37-35 edge at the 7:46 minute mark of the quarter. The Purple Raiders took a 47-42 edge late in the third, but the Pioneers finished the quarter strong and tied the game at 49-49 to enter the final frame. A layup from Hahn with 30 seconds to play in the quarter tied the game.
The fourth quarter remained tight for the opening three minutes of play. Mount Union took a 59-52 advantage, behind a quick 5-0 run, and the run was halted by a layup from
Kate Liston (Little Hocking, Ohio/Warren Local), with four minutes to play in the game. The game remained tight, but late in the quarter a 6-0 run, put the Purple Raiders up 70-59 with under a minute to play. Marietta fought until the end, but fell 76-64.
The Pioneers were led by Schill, she had 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Makenzie Wilson (Wapakoneta, Ohio/Wapakoneta) added 11 points, on five of seven shooting from the field. Levering pitched in with 10 points and a team high eight rebounds.
Marietta finished the 2020-21 season with a record of 6-7 overall.
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.
