BEREA, Ohio — The Marietta College men's basketball team overcame a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Baldwin Wallace University, 77-61, Wednesday (Dec. 3) evening in the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both schools. The Pioneers improve to 5-3 (1-0 OAC) overall, while BW slips to 1-6 (0-1 OAC) on the season.

"We've had a rough couple of outcomes and have had some really tough practices as a result. We are proud of the team for sticking with everything. Continuing to connect with each other and challenging each other," Marietta head coach Andy Bucheit said. "Everyone has a hand in this win. Our scout team has been unbelievable in practice. Credit them for giving us great looks and pushing guys! I'm so happy for these guys being able to see the result of their hard work."

Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) led three Pioneers in double figures with a game-high 23 points. Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) drained three triples and finished with 17 points and five rebounds. Mason Wisniewski (Farmington Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Marys) added 12 points and eight boards, while Jai Guerra-Howard (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain) chipped in with nine points, six rebounds, and six assists. Luke Powell (St. Marys, W.Va./St. Marys) pulled down eight boards.

The teams exchanged small leads through the first 10-plus minutes of the game. Marietta used an 8-0 run to open its biggest lead of the game, 29-17, with 5:58 left in the opening period. Singleton triggered the run with a three-pointer and Guerra-Howard capped it with an old fashioned three-point play.

After a layup from Harden made it 31-19, Baldwin Wallace scored the next 16 points to wipe out the Pioneer lead and went into halftime with a five-point advantage, 38-33. Titus Baskerville sparked the Yellow Jacket run with a pair of three-pointers.

Marietta opened the second half with a 7-2 run to tie the game, 40-40, just over two minutes into the half. Harden scored all seven points hitting a three-pointer, a layup, and two free throws.

The Pioneers gradually built a double-digit lead and then used an 8-0 spurt to increase the Marietta lead to 18 points, 73-55, with 3:12 left in the game. Harden scored the final six points of the run for Marietta.

AJ Pestello notched a double-double for BW with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Byers and Brock Beech scored 11 points each, while Baskerville finished with 10 points and five assists.

Marietta travels to Capital University on Saturday (Dec. 6) for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off.

Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.