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| Nobody averages double-digit scoring for Marietta, but Erin Hahn averages 9.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. She scored 20 and had 19 rebounds in the team's first two NCAA Tournament games. Marietta athletics file photo |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
The fourth quarter was set to begin in a Round of 32 game for Marietta’s women’s basketball team. Its NCAA Division III tournament run as well as its special season stood on the brink of having the curtain lowered on it last Saturday.
“I remember thinking these could be the last 10 minutes of basketball some of us play,” senior Erin Hahn said. “We knew we had to go out and leave it all on the floor, and if we didn't win, we would know we gave it our all.”
For a few minutes, it didn’t get better. The Pioneers saw their deficit reach 10 (39-29) against nationally ranked Ithaca with 7:25 to go, but they refused to quit.
Ultimately, two free throws by senior Devin Hefner with three seconds to play sealed the deal on a 44-42 victory and the program’s first-ever trip to the Sweet 16.
“I knew I had to make one. Two is great, but I just needed at least one,” Hefner said. “I stayed focused, tried not to look at the student section and just focused on the moment.”
A celebration followed inside the Bombers’ Ben Light Gymnasium.
“Parents were running on the court as soon as the buzzer went off,” Marietta head coach Kole Vivian said. “Players were running to their parents. We were probably on the court for 45 minutes after the game. It was definitely pretty cool.”
Rewind five days earlier and there was no guarantee Marietta would get a chance to dance.
The Pioneers had lost 60-45 to Ohio Northern in the OAC tournament final. Marietta felt it had done enough to get to the tourney, but there is always that question of whether it would be enough for an at-large bid.
“I thought we had scheduled pretty well. We had some big wins,” Vivian said. “I was thinking we could be one of the teams selected, but you never know until you see your name on the line.”
For Hefner, tied for the team lead in scoring at 9.3 points per game and the team leader in assists (61), it’s extra special. She opted to come back for one more season hoping it would lead to a moment like this.
“This is what I came back for, to get further than we did last year,” Hefner said. “I took a chance coming back, but I knew we had a good team and had a chance to go far. It was worth it.”
Hahn won’t argue with that. The program’s single-season leader in rebounds (261) and the third-leading scorer for the Pioneers at 9.0 points per game, said the goal from the jump this year was to play for as long as possible.
“We wanted to go further than last year. We don’t want our season to be over. We just have to keep playing well to keep it going,” Hahn said.
Marietta, which had to rally in its opening NCAA game as well, coming back from a 28-23 halftime deficit against Eastern Connecticut State for a 61-57 win, now plays No. 13 Babson (25-5) on Friday in the Sweet 16. The winner gets Chicago or Rhode Island College the next day in the Elite Eight.
Just getting a chance to still play basketball, however, isn’t enough for a team that lost in the second round last season.
“When we lost last year, I thought it really fueled us for this year. They aren’t happy just being in the Sweet 16,” Vivian said. “They want to keep going, and that’s exciting. “We know we are going to face another good team, but they love the challenge. They love to compete.”
The veteran experience of players like Hefner and Hahn, as well as others such as juniors Olivia Gribble and Hannah Schill, and senior Camille Cummins, has been a difference maker.
“It’s beneficial going into the game knowing we have experience,” Hahn said. “It gives you a calming feeling almost because you have been there before. We know we can find a way to come out with a win.”
Partly because the Pioneers never stop competing.
“We bring a lot of energy on the court and we make sure we go and give it our all,” Hefner said. “Everyone plays that way.”
Vivian has seen his team bring that kind of effort and mindset to the gym day in and day out throughout the season.
“They have a belief in each other and play for each other. They take a lot of pride in it,” Vivian said. “No matter what the score is, they are going to find a way to get the job done, and that’s been really big for us.”
So has defense. The Pioneers play tough on that end of the floor, allowing only 54.4 points per outing. They score nearly 15 points per game (14.4) off turnovers and crash the glass hard, pulling down nearly eight more boards per game (43.7) than their opponent (36.0) on average.
“We guard the ball well, and when another team has a good scoring guard, we make her work for her points,” Vivian said. “We also have some good post players. We try to play two, and our post players can guard the perimeter well, too, which helps with rebounding. We’ve been a good rebounding team this year. Being able to defend and rebound, it has made our defense pretty special.”
Hahn knows the value of rebounding well, averaging a team-best 9.0 per game.
“Coach always tells us we have to win the battle of the boards to win the game, and we know the extra possessions are really important. We’re going to give it our all to get them,” Hahn said.
Six players have at least 20 steals. Hahn leads the way with 43. Schill has 41. Hefner is in that group as well, racking up 32, and she’s also pulling down 5.2 rebounds per game.
“When it comes to defense, I’m guarding the top guard, and I take that to heart. I know what I need to do to hold her to a certain number of points. I just try to do my job the best that I can,” Hefner said.
For Marietta, it’s more than just a great effort on defense or on the glass that has propelled this team to an exciting new chapter in program history.
It’s also about team chemistry for a team that started the year 6-4, but is 16-3 since that point.
“We’re like a family,” Hahn said.
Hefner added to that statement.
“We talk about culture and how it affects the game, and we talk about coming together as a team and being there for each other,” Hefner said. “It shows on the court.”