MARIETTA, Ohio – Four Pioneers scored in double figures as the No. 8 ranked Marietta College men's basketball team easily dispatch visiting Ohio Northern University, 91-64, Saturday (Feb. 2) afternoon in front of a packed Ban Johnson Arena.

The Pioneers improved to 18-3 overall and 12-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Ohio Northern falls to 4-17 on the season and 0-14 on conference games.

"It was good to see our guys bounce back on a short turn around after the game at Capital," said Head Coach Jon VanderWal. "We did a great job of executing the game plan and we played with tremendous energy on both ends of the floor."

Both teams got off to a slow start as the game was deadlocked, 2-2, three minutes into the first half. Marietta got rolling with an 11-0 run that saw the Pioneers grab a 13-2 lead with 14 minutes left in the half. Mason Lydic hit a pair of three-pointers and Lukas Isaly added another to highlight the run.

Anthony Wallace hit a jumper pushing the margin to 16-4 forcing the Polar Bears to call a timeout with 11:32 to play in the half. The teams traded buckets over the next several minutes until Marietta scored straight behind back to back buckets from Tim Kreeger.

Following another Ohio Northern timeout, Jason Ellis knocked down five quick points putting Marietta ahead, 46-24, with a minute left in the half. The Pioneers took a 49-26 lead into halftime.

The Polar Bears started the second half with a small spurt to cut the deficit to 15 points five minutes into the period. Marietta answered with a 6-0 run pushing the score to 66-35 at the 13:12 mark. Mike Hall provided the exclamation point with a slam dunk off an assist from Mel Shuler.

The Pioneers continued their strong play and led 89-56 with three minutes to play allowing Coach VanderWal to clear his bench. Marietta closed out the game to post the 91-64 victory.

Ellis led the Pioneers with 17 points to go along with four rebounds and two steals. Kreeger pitched in with 16 points, three boards and a pair of assists. Lydic provided a spark off the bench chipping in with a career-high 14 points. Wallace was also in double figures finishing with 10 points, while Kyle Matoszkia grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Ryan Bruns led Ohio Northern with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. He also blocked three Pioneer shots. Daniel Donner finished with 14 points and seven boards.

For the game, Marietta shot 47.2% (34-for-72) from the floor, 34.3% (12-for-35) from three-point range and 73.3% (11-for-15) at the free throw line. The Polar Bears were 23-of-59 (39.0%) from the floor, 3-of-12 (25.0%) behind the arc and 15-of-22 (68.2%) at the line.

Ohio Northern edged the Pioneers on the glass with 41 rebounds to Marietta's 40. The Polar Bears turned the ball over 21 times, while the Pioneers committed 14 turnovers.

Marietta will return to the hardwood on Wednesday (Feb. 6) when they travel to battle the University of Mount Union, with tip off scheduled for 7 p.m.