MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's basketball team won the opening game of the 37th annual Jim Meagle Holiday Classic sponsored by BSN Sports.  The Pioneers defeated Gettysburg College, 72-60.  With the win the Pioneers improve to 7-3 overall and the loss drops the Bullets to 6-3 overall.  

"That was a gritty game tonight and I am glad we were able to defend good enough to get the win," said Marietta Head Coach Kole Vivian. "We have a lot of respect for Gettysburg, they are talented, play the right way, and are really well coached. We were able to stay in a rhythm the entire game and did a good job on the boards in the second half. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going tomorrow against another NCAA quality team in Oberlin."

Marietta jumped out to 5-0 lead, sparked by a layup from Makenzie Wilson (Wapakoneta, Ohio/Wapakoneta) and three-pointer from Hannah Schill (Rootstown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban).   After AB Holsinger got the Bullets on the board with a layup, the Pioneers answered quickly with a step-back trey from Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin).  Gettysburg battled back with an 4-0 run to cut the lead to 8-6 with just over five minutes to play in the quarter.  Later in the first, a three-pointer from Mackenzie Szlosek propelled Gettysburg to a one-point advantage with 3:45 to play in the quarter.  The lead was short-lived as Kelly Levering (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) answered with a three-pointer and Wilson converted another layup, pushing the Pioneers back into a 15-11 lead.  The Bullets closed out period with a trio of free throws, but still trailed Marietta 18-15 to open the second quarter.

The Pioneers struck first quickly in the second period as Hannah Kroft (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) converted a layup, but Gettysburg answered with a slow-developing seven-point run to take a 24-20 lead.  The run was sparked by a pair of pull up jumpers from Szlosek.  Once again, the Pioneers answered with a vengeance as Gribble connected on a pair of catch-and-shoot three-pointers, vaulting the Pioneers back into a two-point lead.  Alayna Arnolie nailed a triple for the Bullets to cause yet another lead change, 29-28.  Marietta responded with a 6-0 run, four points from Paige Tolson (Guysville, Ohio/Federal Hocking), closing out the second quarter with a 34-29 lead. 

After Caitlyn Priore opened the half with a jumper and a pair of free throws, Gettysburg found themselves down by only one point.  Marietta responded with a 10-0 run to take a 44-33 edge.  The run was halted by a layup from Gettysburg's Kimberly Hopkins, but Kroft answered with a layup and subsequent bonus free throw to extend the Marietta lead to 12 points.  Levering followed with a triple at the 3:51 mark to give the Pioneers their biggest advantage at that point, 15 points.   Sophia Murray (Rocky River, Ohio/Rocky River), Kroft, and Schill all converted on layups to close out the period and entered the final frame ahead, 56-42.
 
The Bullets opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run, fueled by four points from Emily Violante, trimming the Pioneers edge to 56-49. Marietta regained their composure and went on a 10-0 run of their own that saw them regain a double-digit margin, 66-49.  The run was sparked by three driving layups from Schill.  The Pioneers closed out the game and won, 72-60.  

Marietta was led by Gribble as she notched 19 points to lead all scorers.  Schill put together a great second half on the way to a 14-point evening.  Kroft scored 11 points and pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.  
 
Szlosek led the Bullets with 11 points.  Holsinger and Kimberly Hopkins finished with 10 points apiece.
 
In earlier action, Oberlin College defeated Mount Aloysius College, 74-55, and Trine University outlasted Carnegie Mellon University, 60-57.

Marietta will return to the hardwood Saturday (Dec. 30) when they host Oberlin in the final contest of the day.  Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.  Carnegie Mellon and Mount Aloysius will begin the day at 2 p.m. and Trine and Gettysburg will battle at 4:15 pm.
 
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 X and Instagram.