MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College men's basketball team needed a dramatic shot from
Sahmi Willoughby (Groveport, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) to force a second overtime period and then outscored Heidelberg University in the final period to claim an 99-91 victory Saturday (Jan. 20) afternoon in the Ban Johnson Arena. The win stops a three-game losing streak and improves Marietta to 12-5 overall and 6-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Heidelberg drops to 11-6 overall and 7-3 in conference games.
The Pioneers struck first as
David Sanford (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) nailed a three from the left wing, from a great pass from
Jac Alexander (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor). Later in the period,
Frank Waganfeald's (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) hook shot put the Pioneer lead at three, but Carter Pleiman followed with a triple to tie the game at seven.
Isaiah Young put Heidelberg up for the first time as he hit twice from the free-throw line and then followed with a driving layup, giving Heidelberg an 11-7 advantage. Marietta stormed back with threes from Willoughby and
Danny Flood (Valley City, Ohio/Buckeye) to retake the lead. After trading small leads, Jashun Cobb scored layup and followed with a three-pointer and Brady Bosma hit from three-point range, causing the Pioneers to call a timeout. Heidelberg led, 27-20, with 9:27 left in the first half.
The Pioneers mounted a comeback as Alexander scored on a driving layup and Sanford hit a floating jumper to cut the lead the three. The Student Princes extended the lead to nine after a pair of three-pointers, but Marietta finished the half on a 10-2 run after getting a pair of treys from Alexander. Heidelberg still led 37-36 at halftime.
Marietta took little time regaining the lead as Waganfeald hit a three-pointer to open the half and followed with a layup to give Marietta a four-point lead. Later in the period,
Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) hit a trey to push the Pioneers lead to 54-50 at the 11:11 mark. Eric Panning finally found some rhythm for the Student Princes as he scored on a turn-around jumper and then hit a pair of free throws, pushing Heidelberg back into the lead.
Ethan Anderson gave the Pioneers a late spark as he scored on a pair of buckets with 5:38 remaining in regulation and Marietta jumped back into a 67-62 lead. They would hold that lead until late in the second half. Willoughby's trey with 2:13 remaining seemingly gave Marietta a comfortable five-point, but it did not last. Young scored on a pair of jumpers and Panning went 1-of-2 from the free throw line to tie the game.
De'Ovion Price's (River Rouge, Mich./River Rouge) jumper in the final seconds did not go in and both teams went into overtime tied at 73.
After trading leads in the overtime period, Heidelberg began to distance themselves as Young hit a pair of free throws and Panning scored a layup, pushing the lead to four. Sanford cut the lead to two with a driving layup but the Pioneers were forced to foul to stop the clock. Tre Watkins hit 1-of-2 to put the lead at 84-81 with :13 seconds left. In the closing seconds, Willoughby threw up a desperation three-pointer that bounced off the glass and into the hoop, tying the game and forcing a second overtime.
The Pioneers took control in the second overtime as Sanford scored on a jumper and Price nailed a three-pointer. Heidelberg went cold as they were 1-for-9 in the period and were forced to foul the Pioneers to stop the clock. The Pioneers closed out the period 5-for-6 from the charity strip and Heidelberg would get no closer. The Pioneers claimed a 99-91 victory.
Sanford led all scorers with 27 points. He had a trio of three-pointers and grabbed four rebounds. Alexander also connected on three shots from behind the arc and finished with 16 points. Willoughby added 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Waganfeald added 12 points and four boards.
Young led the Student Princes with 25 points and Panning finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Jashun Cobb added 11 points.
Marietta will take to the road on Wednesday (Jan. 24) as the battle Muskingum University in OAC basketball action. The tipoff is scheduled for 7 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/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.
