Strong second half leads Marietta over Frostburg State 84-59

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MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College dominated the second half as the Pioneers broke a 33-33 halftime tie on their way to an 84-59 victory over Frostburg State University Tuesday (Nov. 20) evening in nonconference men's basketball action in Ban Johnson Arena. Marietta improves to 5-0 on the season, while Frostburg State slips to 2-1 overall.

Juniors Caleb Hoyng and Mike Hall each scored 10 points in the second half to lead the Pioneer attack. Hoyng led all scorers with 18 points in the game, while Hall finished with an even dozen. Senior Kyle Dixon and freshman Lukas Isaly each chipped in with nine points.

Rebounding spurred the second half surge. The Pioneers outrebounded Frostburg 31-19 after halftime. 15 offensive boards led to 16 second chance points. Hall and Kyle Matoszkia grabbed eight rebounds apiece to lead Marietta. Hoyng had seven boards and Tim Kreeger pulled down six.

Edwin Cole notched a double-double for the Bobcats with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Daniel Alexander finished with a team-best 17 points.

Dixon drained a three-pointer four minutes into the game giving Marietta its biggest lead of the first half, 11-4. The Pioneers maintained a small lead until midway through the period when Cole scored on a fast break layup to give Frostburg its first lead, 19-17.

The teams exchanged small leads the rest of the half before heading into the intermission tied, 33-33.

Hoyng got thing rolling in the second half opening the period with a three-pointer. Marietta never trailed again. The Pioneers pushed the margin into double digits and took advantage of a 22-4 run to put the game away.

For the game, Marietta shot 38.8% (33-of-85) from the floor, 32.4% (12-of-37) from three-point range and 66.7% (6-of-9) at the free throw line. The Bobcats were 22-of-56 (39.3%) from the floor, 4-of-16 (25.0%) behind the arc and 11-of-16 (68.8%) at the line.

The Pioneers won the battle of the boards, 52-39, including a 23-8 advantage on the offensive glass. Frostburg State committed 20 turnovers, while Marietta turned the ball over 12 times.

Marietta returns to action next Wednesday (Nov. 28) when nationally-ranked Wittenberg University visits Ban Johnson Arena. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.