ADA, Ohio — Ohio Northern University scored the first eight points in overtime as the Polar Bears defeated Marietta College by the score of 85-75 Saturday (Feb. 3) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference men's basketball action. The loss drops Marietta to 14-7 overall and 8-6 in the OAC. Ohio Northern improves to 11-10 on the season and 6-8 in the OAC.
Ohio Northern turned a pair of Pioneer turnovers into three-point baskets to start the overtime period. Will Miller sank both three-pointers off assists from Jadi Cunningham. Cunningham made it eight straight points when he grabbed a rebound and raced the length of the court for a layup to give the Polar Bears a 73-65 lead 90 seconds into the extra period.
Marietta never recovered from Ohio Northern's fast start in overtime. The Pioneers got no closer than five points as the Polar Bears converted 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute of the game to secure the victory.
Jac Alexander (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor) led the Pioneers with 15 points.
De'Ovion Price (River Rouge, Mich./River Rouge) added 13 points, while
Ethan Andersen (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Sahmi Willoughby (Groveport, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) continued to dominate on the glass grabbingn12 rebounds to go along with eight points.
Miller nailed seven three-pointers and led all scorers with 34 points. Cunningham finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Carter Reese chipped in with 12 points and six boards.
Ohio Northern jumped out to an early 11-2 lead. Marietta trimmed the deficit to one point, 13-12, on a three-pointer from
Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) six minutes into the first half. The Polar Bears clung to a small lead, but a 7-0 Pioneer run gave Marietta its first lead of the game, 25-24, on a jumper from Price with four minutes left in the half.
The Polar responded with a bucket to retake the lead. Ohio Northern led 34-30 at halftime.
After trading small leads through the first nine minutes of the second half,
Frank Waganfeald (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) hit a pair of free throws to give Marietta the lead, 49-48. The Pioneers increased its advantage to six points, 56-50, on a jumper from
David Sanford (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) with 6:35 left in regulation.
Aided by three missed free throws by Marietta, the Polar Bears finally retook the lead, 62-61, on a Cunningham jumper with 1:14 left on the clock. An old-fashioned three-point play by Willoughby with 63 seconds remaining put Marietta in front 64-63.
Following a missed layup from the Polar Bears, Andersen grabbed the rebound and was fouled with eight seconds left in regulation. He made the first free throw and missed the second for a 65-53 Pioneer lead. Ohio Northern got the rebound and pushed the ball up the court finding Miller open for the game-tying jumper with 0.4 seconds on the clock. Marietta couldn't get a shot off and the game headed to overtime.
Marietta returns home to host Otterbein University on Wednesday (Feb. 7). Tip-off in Ban Johnson Arena is set for 7:00 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.
