LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 6 ranked Marietta College led start to finish as the Pioneers defeated Albion College, 96-70, Wednesday (Dec. 18) in the championship game of the Don Lane Classic hosted by Transylvania University.

With the win, Marietta improves to 8-0 on the season as Pioneer head coach Jon VanderWal is now 2-0 against his alma mater. VanderWal is a 2001 graduate of Albion. The Britons fall to 6-2 on overall.

"I'm really proud of our effort. This was a great win for our team," Marietta head coach Jon VanderWal said. "Albion is a really good program and obviously near and dear to my heart. We had a lot of guys step up and make plays today. It's an awesome way to head into Christmas break."

Jason Ellis led five Pioneers in double figures and was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player. Ellis hit four three-pointers and finished with 19 points. Tim Kreeger controlled the paint and added 16 points earning a spot on the all-tournament team.

Lukas Isaly chipped in with 13 points, while Jake Montgomery nailed four triples and finished with a career-high 12 points. Mason Lydic added 10 points.

Albion's Caden Ebeling led all scorers with 22 points and represented the Britons on the all-tournament team. Cortez Garland scored 15 points and Jamezell Davis added 13 points.

Kreeger scored the first six points of the game on a pair of layups and two free throws as the Pioneers never trailed. Albion kept the Marietta lead in single digits until a 10-2 Pioneer run pushed the margin to 17 points, 39-22, with five left in the first half.

The lead remained in double digits for the remainder of the game. The Pioneers led 46-31 at halftime and Albion would get no closer than 11 points in the second half.

Marietta drained 18 three-pointers in the game keeping Albion from making an extended run. Eight different Pioneers connected on shots from behind the arc.

The Pioneers held a slim lead on the glass pulling down 37 rebounds to 34 for the Britons. Marietta forced 15 Albion turnovers while committing just eight of its own.

Marietta travels to Wooster for the Great Lakes Invitational on December 28-29. The Pioneers play Salisbury University on Saturday (Dec. 28) at 3 p.m. and York College on Sunday (Dec. 29) at 12 p.m.