ROCHESTER, NY - The Marietta College women's basketball team erased an early deficit and battled until the final seconds before falling 53-48 to Vassar College in the opening round of the 2026 Chuck Resler Tournament Friday (Nov. 13) afternoon on the campus of the University of Rochester. The Pioneers move to 1-1 on the season. The Brewers begin the season at 1-0.
"We played extremely hard today and I was really proud of the effort on the defensive end," said Marietta head coach
Jenna Andersen. "We were able to force 26 turnovers, which is a credit to our intensity and teamwork. Unfortunately, we just couldn't get shots to fall. We had some good looks, but it felt like we couldn't buy a bucket all game long. The encouraging thing is that our energy and defense gave us a chance to compete. Now we have to put this one behind us, regroup, and come back ready tomorrow. Hopefully the ball starts falling through the net, and if we bring that same defensive effort, we'll put ourselves in a good position to bounce back."
The Pioneers struck first when
Emma Rasmussen (Wadsworth, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) knocked down a three-pointer off a
TJ Carpenter (Jackson, Ohio/Jackson) assist for an early 3-2 lead, but Vassar answered behind Lindsey Shoulders, who scored six straight points to help the Brewers build an 8-3 advantage midway through the period.
Amelia Uhrig (Chillicothe, Ohio/Unioto) grabbed an offensive rebound following missed free throws by
Kelsey Harlan (Sardis, Ohio/River) and scored inside with 1:51 remaining to pull Marietta within 9-5. Uhrig continued her work on the glass in the closing seconds, converting back-to-back offensive rebounds into a layup at the buzzer. Despite shooting 15% from the floor in the quarter, Marietta stayed within striking distance and trailed just 11-7 after the opening 10 minutes.
The Pioneers completely flipped the momentum in the second quarter with defensive pressure and transition baskets. Carpenter opened the scoring with a layup to cut the deficit to two points. After Vassar extended the lead back to four,
Ella McMillen (Shreve, Ohio/West Holmes) converted a fast-break layup off a
Kendall Sury (Waterford, Ohio/Waterford) steal to make it 13-11.
Aleigha Busse (Blue Rock, Ohio/Philo) tied it up on a steal and a layup and Uhrig followed with two free throws to give Marietta its first lead since the opening quarter. The Pioneers' defense continued to force mistakes. Sury recorded a steal that led directly to another Busse fast-break basket, stretching the lead to 17-13. McMillen added a jumper for a six-point cushion, and Sury knocked down two free throws to extend the advantage to 21-13. Vassar closed the half with seven unanswered points, including a three-pointer by Shoulders with 12 seconds left, but Marietta carried a 21-20 lead into the locker room.
Following a Vassar basket to open the half, Sury answered with a layup to put the Pioneers back in front, 23-22. Uhrig converted a free throw and Rasmussen buried a three-pointer from the wing off a Carpenter assist, pushing Marietta's lead to five. Vassar responded with a run to trim the margin to one point. Harlan added a free throw and McMillen scored inside off an offensive rebound to help the Pioneers maintain control. After Mikayla Trajtenberg connected on a three-pointer to pull Vassar within one point, Sury drove to the basket for a layup that made it 32-29 with 1:12 remaining. The Brewers answered in the closing minute when Maureen Regan hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 32-32 entering the fourth quarter.
Vassar opened the fourth quarter with a 5-0 burst and appeared to seize momentum. Marietta answered repeatedly, however, and fought back to tie the game at 44-44 on a
Kendall Sury (Waterford, Ohio/Waterford) jumper. After Vassar regained the lead,
Kelsey Harlan (Sardis, Ohio/River) knocked down two free throws with 1:59 left to tie the score at 46-46. Rasmussen then converted a layup knotting the game again at 48-48. The Brewers scored the game's final five points over the last 25 seconds and escaped with the 53-48 victory.
Sury paced the Pioneers with 13 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Rasmussen scored eight points and collected six rebounds and five steals. Uhrig scored seven points while grabbing a game-high seven offensive rebounds, and McMillen added six points off the bench.
Marietta's defensive pressure forced 26 Vassar turnovers and produced 16 steals. The Pioneers also held advantages in offensive rebounds (20-6) and points off turnovers (22-13).
The Pioneers return to action Saturday (Nov. 14) afternoon when they take on Penn State Behrend in the consolation game. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 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.
