MARIETTA, Ohio — No. 21 ranked Otterbein University defeated Marietta College by the score of 87-81 Wednesday (Feb. 4) evening in Ohio Athletic Conference men's basketball action. The loss drops Marietta to 9-12 overall and 4-8 in the OAC. Otterbein improves to 17-3 on the season and 9-2 in the OAC.
 
Marietta jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and maintained the lead through the first six minutes of the game. Otterbein used a 11-3 run to take its first lead of the game, 13-11. The teams traded small leads for most of the first half. The Cardinals closed the period with a 14-3 run and took a 35-26 advantage into halftime.
 
Marietta scored the first eight points of the second half on a pair of baskets from Elijah harden and layups from Jai Guerra-Harden and Jake Singleton (Senecaville, Ohio/Meadowbrook) to get within a point, 35-34. The Pioneers cut the Otterbein lead to one several times but couldn't get the go-ahead basket.
 
Otterbein went on a 12-0 run through the minutes of the period to build a 13-point lead, 54-41. The Cardinals lead by as many as 17 points and held a 79-68 advantage with 1:45 left in the game.
 
The Pioneers refused to go away quietly and trimmed the deficit to five points, 84-79, when Singleton converted three free throws with 14 seconds left. A tip-in from Darius Carden (Ooltewah, Tenn./McMinn Central) made it a 4-point game with three seconds on the clock. Julian Heckman hit a pair of free throws for Otterbein before time ran out.
 
Elijah Harden (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) led Marietta with 21 points. Guerra-Howard had 20 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Singleton finished with 14 points, while Mason Wisniewski (Farmington Hills, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Marys) notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Jarius Jones had 23 points off the bench to lead Otterbein. Troy Scowden had 14 points and five rebounds. Carter Piatt-Brown finished with 13 points and a team-high eight boards. Julian Heckman and Dominic Theado chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Marietta plays at Wilmington College on Saturday (Feb. 7). 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.