MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College women's basketball team got off to a quick start and never trailed as they easily defeated Muskingum University, 70-47, Wednesday (Feb. 1) evening in Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers improve to 14-6 on the season and 9-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Muskingum slips to 7-13 overall and 4-9 in conference games.
Marietta's
Hannah Kroft (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) scored the first four points of the contest giving the Pioneers the early lead.
Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) and
Erin Hahn (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) came off the bench and made an immediate impact. Gribble hit from three-point range and Hahn scored on a driving layup and Marietta led 9-4 halfway through the quarter.
Ally Grake (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) poured in five consecutive points with 2:05 remaining and Muskingum could only answer with a free throw. Marietta took an 18-7 lead heading into the second quarter.
Claudia Harrington scored the first bucket of the second quarter as she hit from outside the perimeter for the Fighting Muskies, but Marietta rattled off the next 10 points to extend the lead, 28-10. The run was fueled by Hahn who scored eight of those 10 points.
Kelly Levering's (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) layup at the 5:22 mark sent the Pioneers on another large run, scoring 13 points over the next three minutes and Marietta took a commanding 41-17 lead at halftime.
Both teams started the third period cold, which had a worse effect on the Muskies as it hampered their chances at a comeback.
Devin Hefner's (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) three pointer with five minutes left in the third extended the lead to 23. After the two teams traded baskets,
Adi Hill (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) hit from downtown two minutes later to extend the lead further and the Pioneers led 57-32 entering the fourth quarter.
Kroft scored on a layup midway through the fourth quarter to give Marietta its biggest lead of the night, 61-34. The Pioneers cleared their bench soon after and went to post the 70-47 victory.
Hahn led the Pioneers with 12 points and collected 11 rebounds. Kroft finished with 10 points. Hefner finished with nine points and added three assists and two steals.
Camille Cummins (MIddlefield, Ohio/Cardinal) added eight rebounds to the mix.
Muskingum's Harrington led all scorers with 17 points. Halle Morehead chipped in six points. Caitlyn DeMassimo scored 4 points and led the Muskies with six rebounds.
Marietta is back in action on Saturday (Feb. 4) when they travel to battle John Carroll University. They are scheduled for a 4 p.m. tipoff following the men's matchup with the Blue Streaks.
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 Twitter and Instagram.
