MARIETTA, Ohio — Ohio Northern University came from behind in the second half to defeat Marietta College, 90-82, Saturday (Jan. 17) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference men's basketball. The Pioneers move to 7-9 overall and 2-5 in the OAC. Ohio Northern is 9-7 overall and 4-3 in the OAC.
 
A layup and free throw from Adisa Molton gave the Polar Bears a six-point lead, 16-10, six minutes into the game. Marietta answered with a 14-2 run to turn the six-point deficit into a six-point lead, 24-18. Three-pointers from Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook), Darius Carden (Ooltewah, Tenn./McMinn Central) and Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) sparked the Pioneer run.
 
Marietta maintained the lead the rest of the first half. The Pioneers led by as many as 10 points, 38-28, in the half. Back-to-back triples from Will Miller cut into the Marietta lead. The Pioneers led 42-38 at halftime.
 
Ohio Northern got hot from three-point range in the second half hitting seven triples in the period. An old fashioned three-point play from Conye Gaston tied the game, 54-54, with 15:38 left in the game.
 
The Polar Bears gradually extended their lead and a three-pointer from Mason Studer at the 7:09 mark gave Ohio Northern a 15-point lead, 81-66. A nine-point outburst from Harden helped the Pioneers cut the margin to five, 85-80, with 1:25 left on the clock. But ONU hit five of six free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.
 
Harden led all scorers with 24 points. He also dished out four assists. Singleton poured in 18 points in the first half and finished with 23 points and five rebounds. Mason Wisniewski (Farmington Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Marys) added 16 points and seven rebounds.
 
Miller and Gaston both scored 19 points to lead Ohio Northern. Miller nailed five three-pointers, while Gaston grabbed eight rebounds. Aiden Harris had 12 points and eight boards. Theo Maag added 12 points, while Studer finished with 10 points.
 
Marietta hosts Muskingum University on Wednesday (Jan. 21). Tipoff I set for 7:00 p.m.
 
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.