CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Marietta College women's basketball team took a lead into the fourth quarter only to lose the advantage late in the matchup, but bounced back with some clutch shooting in the final seconds to get a road victory over Case Western Reserve University, 67-66, Wednesday (Dec. 3) evening. The Pioneers improve to 4-4 on the season and the Spartans slip to 5-2 overall.

"So proud of our group tonight," said Marietta head coach Jenna Andersen.  "This was a huge win for us to get back even with our record. We were able to grind out a hard fought game on the road which is not easy to do. We still have more work to do, but proud of where we are!"

Marietta scored on the opening possession as TJ Carpenter (Jackson, Ohio/Jackson) scored a layup after an offensive rebound to give the Pioneers an early lead.  Both teams then traded baskets in a back-and-forth quarter, with Marietta getting a trio of jumpers from Ava Heller (Thornville, Ohio/Sheridan) on the way to a 10-10 tie.  Kelsey Harlan (Sardis, Ohio/River) got a big layup and bonus free throw at the 2:21 mark and then followed with additional layup to give the Pioneers a five-point lead.  CWRU hit some shots in the closing seconds to cut the Pioneer lead to 18-17 heading into the second quarter.

The Pioneers got off to a quick start in the second period as they got baskets from Carpenter and Heller to push the lead back out to five.  Spartans fought back and actually took the lead as Mya Hartjes nailed a three-pointer with five minutes remaining.  Heller answered with a trey put the Pioneers temporarily back up top.  The lead changed hands four times in the final four minutes and, despite getting a pair of jumpers from Harlan, the Pioneer found themselves down one point, 37-36, going into the intermission.
 
The third period began with an 8-3 run by Marietta, fueled by a pair of shots by Carpenter, to vault them back into the lead.  The Spartans clawed back, though, and found themselves with a one-point advantage with three minutes left in the period.  Heller triggered a 9-1 run for Marietta with a three pointer, but Hartjes stopped the rally with a three-pointer to close out the period.  Marietta took a 56-52 lead into the final period.
 
Case Western Reserve turned the tides in the fourth quarter as they begun with a 9-0 run, getting two big buckets from Emily Plachta. The Pioneers finally got on the board with a jumper from the paint from Abby Garner (Macedonia, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and then tied it back up at the 3:55 mark as Heller again hit from the perimeter.  The Spartans got a key three-pointer from Maura Schorr with :26 seconds remaining, causing Marietta to take a timeout.  On the next possession, Marietta tied it back up with a huge three pointer from Amelia Uhrig (Chillicothe, Ohio/Unioto) and the Spartans decided to take a timeout.  In the closing seconds, Hartjes missed a crucial layup. Carpenter fought for the rebound and was fouled, getting sent to the line for bonus free throws.  After hitting 1-of-2, the Pioneers held a slight one-point lead with just eight seconds left on the clock.  Hartjes managed one final shot, but it did not go in and the Pioneers claimed the slight victory, 67-66. 

Harlan led the Pioneers with 18 points. Heller finished with 17 points.  Carpenter finished with 13 points and led the Pioneers with seven assists, seven rebounds, and three blocks

Hartjes led all scorers with 22 points and Plachta finished with 15 points.
 
Marietta will be back in action on Saturday (Dec. 6) when they open the conference portion of their schedule, traveling to battle Capital University, scheduled for a 3 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.