BEXLEY, Ohio — Capital University defeated Marietta College by the score of 75-58 Wednesday (Jan. 31) evening in Ohio Athletic Conference men's basketball action. The loss drops Marietta to 14-6 overall and 8-5 in the OAC. Capital improves to 13-7 on the season and 7-6 in the OAC.
In a seesaw first half, both teams traded small leads. Baden Forup scored on a layup with six minutes left in the period to give Capital a five-point lead, 25-20, the biggest of the half. Marietta answered with a 7-0 run to retake the lead, 27-25. Jumpers from
David Sanford (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) and
Sahmi Willoughby (Groveport, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) and a three-pointer from
De'Ovion Price (River Rouge, Mich./River Rouge) accounted for the Pioneers' points in the run.
A Willoughby slam dunk with 57 seconds remaining tied the game, 33-33. The Comets got a three-pointer from Alex Eyink as time expired in the half to take a 36-33 lead into halftime.
Marietta closed to within two points, 44-42, on a
Jac Alexander (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor) three-pointer with 16:15 left in the game. The Comets responded with six straight points pushing their advantage to eight points, 50-42.
Capital gradually pulled away from the Pioneers. The Comets used a 13-3 run to extend the margin to 16 points, 63-47, with just over five minutes left in the game. The lead remained in double digits the rest of the way.
Willoughby led the Pioneers with 13 points and eight rebounds. Sanford and Price chipped in with 12 points each, while
Ethan Andersen (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) added 10 points.
Forup paced Capital with 20 points and six rebounds. McKane Finkenbine had 14 points and Carter Combs added 10 points. Justin Nixon finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
Marietta plays at Ohio Northern University on Saturday (Feb. 3). Tip-off is set for 2:00 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.
