MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College fended off a pesky Muskingum University squad to record a 91-86 win Wednesday (Jan. 21) evening in Ohio Athletic Conference men's basketball. The Pioneers improve to 8-9 overall and 3-5 in the OAC. Muskingum falls to 12-5 on the season and 4-4 in the OAC.
 
In a game that featured seven ties and 10 lead changes, it quickly settled into a battle between Marietta's post players and Muskingum's guards. Mason Wisniewski (Farmington Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Marys) and Luke Powell (St. Marys, W.Va./St. Marys) combined for 35 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocked shots. The Muskies countered with a 33-point effort from Duane Davis.
 
Back-to-back three-pointers from Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) and Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) gave Marietta the early lead, 11-8. Teams traded small leads throughout the first half. Singleton drained another triple in the final seconds to give Marietta a 40-39 lead at halftime.
 
The Pioneers opened the second half with 10 straight points, all on layups and dunks, as Muskingum struggled to defend the Marietta post players. Trenton Collins (Newark, Ohio/Utica) had a pair of layups, while Wisniewski put down two monster dunks and added a layup in the run.
 
Davis got Muskingum back in the game. He hit three-pointers on successive possessions and then tallied an old-fashioned three-point play cutting the Pioneer lead to four points, 52-48.
 
Marietta maintained a small lead through most of the period. Owen Emig hit a three-pointer giving Muskingum the lead, 68-67, with six minutes left in the game. After trading the lead several times, a bucket from Wisniewski at the 3:15 mark put the Pioneers in front for good.
 
Another basket from Wisniewski gave Marietta an 85-80 lead with 48 seconds left on the clock. Muskingum refused to go quietly as Nathan Walker drained a triple on the ensuing possession. 
 
Two free throws from Harden and two more from Singleton pushed the margin back to six points, 89-83, with six seconds left. The Muskies again answered with a three-pointer. This time from Emig. But two more free throws from Singleton iced the game for Marietta.
 
Wisniewski led Marietta with 22 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots. Singleton finished with 20 points and five boards. Harden added 15 points and seven assists, while Powell had 13 points and four rebounds. Jai Guerra-Howard (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain) dished out a game-high eight dimes.
 
Davis led all scorers with 33 points shooting 14-of-21 from the floor. Emig had 18 points and five rebounds, while Walker and Phil Towns each added 11 points. Alieu Ceesay chipped in with 10 points and seven boards.
 
Marietta hosts Capital University on Saturday (Jan. 24). Tip-off is set for 1:00 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.