MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's basketball team lost 67-53 to Washington and Jefferson on Tuesday (Nov. 8) evening at home in their season opener.  With the win the Pioneers fall to 0-1 overall, and with the win the Presidents improve to 1-0 overall.  

"Give credit to W&J, they came in here and played a lot better than us.," said Head Coach Kole Vivian.  "We didn't defend their actions and played as individuals on both ends of the court. The only good thing about this loss is we get to see how we respond to a poor outing right away."

Washington and Jefferson jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first three minutes of play with four of the five Presidents starters hitting from the field.  Marietta shot a dismal 28% in the first quarter as they had a tough time getting in a rhythm.  After Washington and Jefferson extended the lead throughout the quarter, Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) stopped the momentum with a three-pointer to cut the lead in half to 18-9.  The Pioneers added some free throws at the end to close out the quarter with an 18—11 deficit.

Washington and Jefferson continued their good fortune from behind the arc, hitting a pair of treys to push the first half lead to 26-15 two and a half minutes into the second quarter.  Marietta halted the run with a three-pointer from Ally Grake (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) and a driving layup by Camille Cummins (MIddlefield, Ohio/Cardinal), and the Pioneers closed the gap to 28-22.  Layups from Erin Hahn (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) and Devin Hefner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) cut the lead to five with a minute left in the half.  Hahn was sent to the line in the closing seconds of the half and made two from the charity stripe.  The Pioneers went into intermission with a 32-27 deficit.

Marietta scored first in the second half when Hefner scored on the Pioneers opening possession, cutting the lead to three. The Presidents answered with a 7-0 run, pushing the lead back to 51-41.  Paige Tolson (Guysville, Ohio/Federal Hocking) came off the bench to spark the Pioneers, hitting a three pointer and scoring on a driving layup.  Hannah Schill (Rootstown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) closed the quarter out completing an old-fashioned three-point play, but the Pioneers still trailed 56-49 after three quarters.

The shooting woes came back in the fourth quarter as the Pioneers shot two of 13 from the field, only scoring four total points.  Washington and Jefferson withstood every Pioneer run, and many times answered with some great shooting and timely defense.  The Presidents closed out the game and won 67-53.  

The Pioneers were led by Tolson, she had a team high 11 points and was two for three from three-point range.  Hefner scored nine points.  Hahn has eight points and eight rebounds for the contest.   

Marietta will return to the court Friday (Nov. 11) when they travel to battle St. Vincent, with tip off scheduled for 7 p.m.

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.