COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Marietta College women's basketball team scored the first nine points and never trailed as they defeated Capital University on the road, 68-55, Wednesday (Dec. 6) evening.  The Pioneers improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.  Capital fell to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the OAC.
 
"That was a really big road win for our program," said Marietta head coach Kole Vivian. "We were moving the ball really well in the first half, and in the second half the pace got slowed a bit and we were able to grind it out. The Capital Center is always a difficult place to play, and we are really happy to be leaving with a double digit win."

Marietta got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 9-0 lead.  Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) opened the game with a driving layup and followed with a three-pointer.  Hannah Schill (Rootstown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) nailed a three-pointer a couple of possessions later to give the Pioneers an early commanding lead.  Later in the quarter, Paige Tolson (Guysville, Ohio/Federal Hocking) provided four points in a six-point run to give Marietta a 17-5 lead.  Kelly Levering's (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) three-pointer with a minute left in the quarter pushed the lead to 14 and the Pioneers took a 24-13 lead into the second period.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start in the second period as nearly three minutes ran off the clock before any points hit the board.  Adi Hill's (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) triple put the score at 27-13.  Kelly Levering (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) converted a pair of buckets and Ally Grake's (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) pull-up jumper extended the Pioneer lead to 17.  The Comets tried to inch back in as Demi Brewer and Jenna Horsley hit shots from the perimeter but Madison Cecil (Centerburg, Ohio/Highland) answered with two consecutive shots from three-point range and the Pioneers led 43-28 with two minutes remaining in the half.  After some traded shots, Marietta took a 48-30 lead into halftime.
 
The third quarter started slow again for both teams.  Laney Murphy scored first 30 second in, but it would be another three minutes before either team would find the scoring column.  Gribble scored the first Pioneer points in the second half with a three-pointer to put the lead at 51-33.  Later in the period, Samaree Perkins' driving layup was answered by a turnaround jumper from Makenzie Wilson (Wapakoneta, Ohio/Wapakoneta) and the Comets continued to trail. Capital closed out with four consecutive free throws, cutting the lead to 55-44 heading into the fourth quarter.

Capital came out with a purpose and went on a 5-0 run in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, getting them withing six points of the lead, 55-49.  Tolson put a stop to the run with a trey and Gribble nailed a back-breaking three-pointer with three minutes remaining to seal the victory.  The Pioneers would go on to win, 68-55.

Gribble finished with a team-high 17 points. Tolson finished with 14 points.  Levering finished with seven points and eight rebounds.   Wilson led the Pioneers with 10 rebounds, four assists,  and two blocks. 

Bri O'Conner and Murphy led the Comets with 12 points apiece.

Marietta returns home to battle Wilmington College on Saturday (Jan. 21). Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollegeand @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.