ITHACA, N.Y. —
Devin Hefner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) returned for an extra season at Marietta for a chance to make history.
The senior guard made two free throws with three seconds on the clock to give the Pioneers a 44-42 victory over19th-ranked Ithaca College (24-5) in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Ben Light Gymnasium Saturday evening. Marietta advances to its first Sweet 16 in program history.
"It was definitely worth it. I missed most of my junior year because of an injury, but I still wasn't sure if I was going to come back for an extra season," Hefner said. "But we just made history and I am glad to be part of this team. I didn't know what to feel or think when it was over, but I was excited. We came back and played as hard as we could until the end."
The Pioneers (22-7) struggled to find any rhythm on offense most of the game but finished the game on a 9-0 run and didn't allow the Bombers to score in the final 4:51. A Hefner layup tied the game at 42 with 53 seconds to play. Following Hannah Polce's missed 3-point attempt, Marietta got the ball back with 21 seconds on the clock.
Hefner missed a layup and then turned it over when Polce tied up the ball with possession favoring Ithaca.
However, Ithaca's Lindsey Albertelli missed a shot and then fouled Hefner, which set up the winning free throws.
"I've been in that position before, and I wasn't going to miss those foul shots," Hefner said. "The game was on the line, and I had to make them."
Hefner led all scorers with 15 points, including a 3-pointer and she went 4-for-4 from the foul line. She also had seven rebounds. Senior forward
Erin Hahn (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds and chipped in with eight points.
Marietta's season is continuing because of strong defensive play. Down 22-13 with 5:03 to play in the second period, Marietta coach
Kole Vivian called a time out to settle his team down. However, he didn't discuss switching the defense.
"After we went back on the court, I turned to (assistant coach) Jenna (Anderson) and asked if she thought we should switch to a zone," Vivian said. "She thought it was a good time, so we just told them to do it."
It worked.
"I thought Camille (Cummins) and Makenzie (Wilson) were tough in the paint, and when you have Dev and Hannah (Schill) on the perimeter, they force a team to push the ball out more than they would like," Vivian said.
Ithaca scored just three more points in the period, and the Bombers managed just 17 points on 6-of-32 shooting in the second half. For the game, Ithaca shot 25 percent (16-of-64).
The Pioneers were not much better at 30.4 percent (17-of-56) shooting. The results from behind the 3-point arc were even worse — 3-of-23 for 13 percent. Vivian believes his squad's offensive struggles can be attributed to Ithaca.
"Ithaca is a really good defensive team. They gave us a lot of issues. We didn't really get a whole lot going inside.," Vivian said. "It wasn't the prettiest game in the second and third quarters, but we finished the game really well and we found a way to win."
Normally a slow-starting team, Marietta opened the game by making all three 3-pointers (
Kelly Levering (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) and
Paige Tolson (Guysville, Ohio/Federal Hocking) made the other two) and the period ended in a 13-13 tie. The Pioneers were outscored 19-12 over the middle periods and trailed.
Marietta (22-7) will face No. 13 Babson (25-5) on Friday — most likely in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Babson defeated SUNY-New Paltz 76-66 to advance.
Marietta won its first NCAA Tournament game last year and is now 3-2 all-time.
The Pioneers, who started the season 6-4, have gone 16-3 since.
"Any time you are able to advance the program to a place it has never been, well, that is really special," Vivian said. "We are playing more kids this year, and they all bought into the different roles we need them to play. Eleven years ago, when I was an assistant for Coach (Stacia) Shrider, we were just trying to win 16 games. Now we are one of the final 16 teams still playing."
Marietta trailed by as many as 10 — 39-29 — with 7:25 to play in the game. But the Pioneers kept fighting and cutting into the lead and closed by outscoring the Bombers 15-3. Making clutch shots down the stretch were Cummins, Hahn, and
Olivia Gribble (Irwin, Pa./Norwin).
Tolson had five points and
Hannah Kroft (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) four for Marietta. Cara Volpe led Ithaca with 12 points, while Natalie Smith, Emily Dorn, and Camryn Coffey each had eight points.
Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
