MARIETTA, Ohio — In rare back-to-back games, the Marietta College women's basketball team bounced back from a loss the day prior to get an overtime victory over Case Western Reserve University, 73-67, Monday (Jan. 13) evening. The Pioneers improve to 9-4 on the season and the Spartans slip to 5-7 overall.
"We started off a bit stagnant out there, but I'm very proud of how we fought back tonight," said Marietta head coach
Jenna Andersen. "Before the game, I told them that defense was what going to win us this game. They stepped up, answered every run that Case made, and made the stops down the stretch when we needed them. Very nice bounce back from how we played yesterday."
Both teams battled to eight lead changes in a back-and-forth first quarter. After the Spartans took a 4-3 lead,
Paige Tolson (Guysville, Ohio/Federal Hocking) answered with a driving layup to give the Pioneers a one-point advantage. After Case Western Reserve tied it back up,
Ally Grake (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) knifed through the lane for another layup to put Marietta back on top. The Spartans regained the lead at the 2:03 mark as Emily Plachta nailed a three pointer, but
Adi Hill (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) answered with a step back jumper in the final minute to give Marietta a 13-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Spartans tied it back in the opening moments of the second period, but the Pioneers got a pair of jumpers from Grake and Hill to get a brief amount of breathing room, extending the lead to four. The Spartans bounced back yet again with an 8-0 run, fueled by a pair of treys from Jordyn Call, to jump back to a 24-20 lead. Marietta responded with a
Hannah Kroft (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) layup and a three-pointer from Tolson to retake the lead. In the closing moments of the half, both teams got opportunities from the free throw line. Plachta went 1-of-2 from the stripe to tie the game at 27, but Peyten Bruns came off the bench to give Marietta some strong minutes and converted a pair of free throws. That gave Marietta a 29-27 lead going into the intermission.
The third period began with a trio of lead changes, the final coming from a layup from Evie Miller, and the Spartans led by one. Later in the quarter, Case Western Reserve extended the lead to five, its biggest amount at the point, as Maya Roberts scored a layup at the 5:02 mark. Marietta got some clutch buckets as the third period came to a close. Kroft and Tolson powered in tough layups on consecutive possessions and both teams entered the fourth period locked up at 43.
The fourth quarter began with a huge three pointer from
Olivia Keeney (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) off the bench and the Pioneers led by three. After CWRU yet again fought back to tie, Keeney hit another jumper to put the lead back at two. Later in the period, the Pioneers appeared to take control as
Emma Rasmussen (Wadsworth, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) hit from the perimeter at the 2:27 mark to push the Marietta lead to five. Again, the Spartans fought back as Hartjes hit from three-point range and then, after a Pioneer turnover, tied the game as Maura Schorr hit a mid-range jumper. With six seconds remaining, Tolson scored a layup, causing CWRU to call a timeout. The Spartans followed with a Hartjes jumper as the final seconds ticked off the clock and both team were tied at 61 heading into overtime.
The Pioneers got off to a quick start in the overtime as Kroft and Hill scored quick buckets. After the Spartans cut the lead to two, Keeney nailed another clutch three point to give Marietta a 68-63 lead with 3:08 remaining in the overtime. With time running out, CWRU was forced to foul to stop the clock, but the plan did not work as Tolson hit 5-of-6 free throws and the Pioneers would close out a hard-fought 73-67 victory.
Tolson led the Pioneers with 17 points. Hill finished with 14 points and led the Pioneers with five steals. Keeney came off the bench and scored 10 clutch points. Kroft ended with nine points and led the team with seven rebounds.
Plachta led the Spartans with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Robert finished with 13 points and Hartjes scored 11 points for the Spartans.
Marietta will be back in action on Wednesday (Jan. 15) when they travel to battle Muskingum University, scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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 X and Instagram.
