MARIETTA, Ohio — The women's basketball team took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter but could not hold on as No. 8 Baldwin Wallace University defeated Marietta College by the score of 52-49 Saturday (Dec. 10) afternoon. The loss drops Marietta to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Baldwin Wallace improves to 8-0 on the season and 3-0 in conference games.
"We didn't get off to a very good start, but our middle quarters were really strong," Marietta head coach
Kole Vivian said. "We were able to get stops on defense and get in a rhythm on offense. Unfortunately, we couldn't finish off the game liked we wanted to, and BW deserves a lot credit for how they came back. But I have a lot to be encouraged about with our team."
The Pioneers got off to rough start, missing their first five shots. Still, they only found themselves down 4-0 at the 8:07 mark when
Makenzie Wilson (Wapakoneta, Ohio/Wapakoneta) hit 1 of 2 free throws. Both teams continued to have difficulties converting baskets until
Erin Hahn (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) cut the lead to 5-3 with a mid-range jumper. Baldwin Wallace would then go on a 7-0 run over the next four minutes, sparked by four points from Sylvie Sonneman while the Pioneers still continued to struggle from the field.
Devin Hefner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) scored with a driving layup with two minutes remaining and converted two free throws to cut into the lead. At the end of one period, Baldwin Wallace led 14-7
The second quarter saw a reversal of fortune as the Pioneers held Baldwin Wallace to only three points. The Yellow Jackets went 1 of 10 from the field, only converting on a driving layup and subsequent bonus free throw from Caely Ressler. The Pioneers got baskets from
Hannah Kroft (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta), Wilson, Hefner, and
Kelly Levering (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) to give them a brief 15-14 lead.
Hannah Schill's (Rootstown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) layup at the 1:00 mark tied the contest at 17 and that's where both teams would stay going into intermission.
The two teams traded shots to begin the third quarter, but Marietta began to warm up from the outside midway through the period. Hahn hit a jumper to tie it at 25 and that would spark a 14-0 over the next five minutes.
Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) and
Ally Grake (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) hit a key three-pointer apiece during the run. The Yellow Jackets stopped the momentum with back-to-back three-pointers, but Gribble's shot from beyond the arc gave Marietta a 40-31 lead going into the final period.
Neither team managed a point in the fourth quarter until Hahn converted a layup a minute and a half in. For the next four minutes, Baldwin Wallace would go on a 13-0 run and take the lead back, 46-42. Ressler nailed a trey to cut the lead to one and Leah Riley hit from downtown to give the Yellow Jackets a two-point lead. Schill scored on a driving layup and converted the bonus free throw to cut the BW lead to one with 2:53 remaining. With 16 seconds remaining, the Pioneers worked for one final possession. Hefner had the ball stolen from her by Emily Irwin and the Pioneers could not bridge the gap. After some final free throws, the Yellow Jackets survived to win 52-49.
Hahn led Marietta with 12 points and eight rebounds. Gribble scored eight points. Hefner finished with eight points, 11 rebounds, and two assists. Wilson scored seven points, collected six rebounds, and blocked three shots.
Erwin paced the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 16 points to go along with six assists. Ressler ended with nine points and five rebounds.
Marietta hosts OAC foe John Carroll University next Friday (Dec. 16) for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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.
