TIFFIN, Ohio — Marietta College never trailed as the Pioneers defeated Heidelberg University, 89-69, Saturday (Jan. 10) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference men's basketball action. Marietta moves to 7-8 overall and 2-4 in the OAC. Heidelberg slips to 7-7 on the season and 1-4 in the OAC

"We are proud of our team for putting a full 40 minutes together. The first time we have done this all year," Marietta head coach Andy Bucheit said. "We handled the emotions surrounding the game with maturity. I am proud of the growth we've had, and we are excited for our team's finish to the season."

Today's game was the first time Pioneer head coach Andy Bucheit returned to Seiberling Gymnasium since leaving Heidelberg for Marietta. Bucheit was the head coach at Heidelberg for the last 12 seasons. MC assistant coach Keandre Graves and players Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic), Jai Guerra-Howard (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain), Mason Wisniewski (Farmington Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Marys), KJ Reynald, and Trent Wininger (Copley, Ohio/Copley) all came to Marietta from Heidelberg with Bucheit.

Harden drained a three-pointer on the opening possession of the game, one of eight he would hit on the day, as the Pioneers jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. The Student Princes scored the next four points to tie the game only to see Harden tally the next five points giving Marietta the lead for good.

Back-to-back triples from Harden and Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) pushed the Pioneer lead to 10 points, 20-10. Heidelberg battled back to get within two points, 25-23, on a layup from Xzander Ream midway through the first half.

Marietta responded with 10 straight points. Hayden Jarrett (Zanesville, Ohio/Maysville) hit a three-pointer, one of 16 in the game for the Pioneers, Wisniewski made a pair of free throws, and Singleton had a three-pointer and a jumper during the run.

The Pioneers continued to pull away. Darius Carden (Ooltewah, Tenn./McMinn Central) converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Singleton hit a jumper as time expired giving Marietta a 54-34 halftime lead.

After an opening basket from Jarveil Gainey, Marietta maintained a 20-plus point lead for the duration of the game. Another Harden three-pointer gave Marietta its biggest lead of the game, 72-42, with 12:37 left in the game.

Harden led all scorers with 26 points as he converted 8-of-15 three-point attempts. Singleton had five triples and 19 points. Guerra-Howard finished with 19 points and nine assists. Wisniewski added a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

Gainey led Heidelberg with 20 points and nine rebounds. Trey Killens added 11 points and nine rebounds, while added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Marietta is off until next Saturday (Jan. 17) when the Pioneers host Ohio Northern University. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in Ban Johnson Arena.

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.