MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College shot 54% from the floor and was perfect, 11-for-11, at the free throw line in the second half to pull away and defeat Saint Vincent University 72-60 Sunday (Nov. 16) evening in the 44th annual Marietta Shrine Tournament sponsored by BSN Sports.
Junior Eddy Grenert was named the Cliff Rose Most valuable Player after posting a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five assists. Seniors Garrett Stephenson and Andy Dollman were named to the all-tournament team after scoring 18 and 16 points, respectively.
Stephenson grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a pair of Bearcat shots. Junior Luis Garcia chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Keith Richardson dished out four assists.
For the second straight night, Marietta jumped out to an early lead and remained in front until the final seconds of the first half. A jumper from Saint Vincent's Sean Kett with four ticks left on the clock knotted the game at 35 heading into halftime.
Grenert just missed a double-double in the first half with 10 points and nine rebounds at the break. In Marietta's first two games, he has pulled down 26 total rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass.
After tying the game at the end of the first period, Kett gave the Bearcats their first lead of the night, 41-39, with a bucket at the 16:23 mark. That was the only time Saint Vincent was ahead in the game as the Pioneers responded with two quick baskets to reclaim the lead.
The game remained tight and was tied, 52-52, with 8:33 remaining. Marietta went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:37 to take control of the game. Two free throws from Garcia pushed the margin to 14 points, 72-58, with 1:42 left on the clock.
Saint Vincent was playing without its top scorer from the night before. Pat Jones, who scored 20 points on Saturday and was named to the all-tournament team, missed today's game due to a death in his family. JC Howard led the Bearcats against Marietta with 13 points.
Marietta shot 45.5% (25-of-55) from the floor, 28.6% (4-of-14) from three-point range and 85.7% (18-of-21) at the free throw line. Saint Vincent was 22-of-53 (41.5%) from the floor, 5-of-17 (29.4%) behind the arc and 11-of-12 (91.7%) at the line.
The Pioneers again dominated the battle of the boards outrebounding the Bearcats 40-25. Marietta committed 11 turnovers, while Saint Vincent turned the ball over eight times.
Marietta hosts Waynesburg University Tuesday (Nov. 18) at 7:30 p.m.