MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta men's basketball team opened the 2020-21 campaign with a convincing 107-87 win over Baldwin Wallace University, on Friday (Jan. 29) evening. The Pioneers are now 1-0 on the season and 1-0 Ohio Athletic Conference action, while the Yellow Jackets fall to 0-3 overall and 0-3 in the OAC.
"I'm glad to get that first one in the books," Marietta head coach Jon VanderWal said. "I thought we played an unbelievable first half. We got off to a great start and shot the lights out. I told our guys at halftime that this was our first challenge of the year. Being Up 30 at the half, how are we going to respond?
"Our first group came out and played really hard and bumped the lead up and then we got away from what we do. It is amazing in college basketball when you stop doing what you're supposed to do, how quickly the tide turns. I wish I felt a little bit better than I do about a 20-point win."
The Marietta offense opened the first half on fire as they scored on eight of its first 10 possessions of the game, five of those buckets were three pointers. The early offense was sparked by Mason Lydic as he knocked down three of the five triples and the Pioneers led, 21-9, at the 14:31 minute mark.
After a Baldwin Wallace timeout, the Yellow Jackets went on a 7-0 run that trimmed the Marietta edge to 21-16 with just over 13 minutes to play in the half. The Pioneers stopped the run behind a layup from Kyle Matoszkia.
After the teams traded baskets for five minutes, Marietta went on a 20-2 run that spanned four minutes of play and ended with just over four minutes remaining in the half. The run was propelled by Jason Ellis. He scored 12 of the 20 points during the run.
The Pioneers stretched out their largest lead of the first half on a foul shot from Jac Alexander, and Marietta led 64-33 at the intermission. At the half Ellis led all scorers with 18 points, and Lydic had 11. The Pioneers sank 11-of-13 three-pointers in the first half to keep the Yellow Jackets at bay.
After each team scored on its opening possession, Marietta opened up a 12-0 run that spanned nearly three minutes of action. The run was a true team effort as, Tim Kreeger, Sahmi Willoughby, Lydic, and Copper Parrott all scored during the span.
Baldwin Wallace answered back immediately with an 11-3 run, that cut the Pioneer lead to 82-46 at the 14-minute mark of the second half. The BW rally was halted by a three from Parrott off an assist by Brett Martin.
After the teams swapped buckets for six minutes of play, the Yellow Jackets went on a 17-2 run that trimmed the Marietta advantage to 93-74. The closest Baldwin Wallace would get was 17-point deficit before the Pioneers put the 107-87 win to bed.
The Pioneers were led by Ellis, he notched a game high 27 points, on 5-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. Lydic pitched in 16 points, pulled down eight rebounds and had a pair of steals. Kreeger was solid in the post with 12 points, eight rebounds and notched a career high in blocks with four. Parrott provided a spark off the bench with 14 points, and three rebounds. Marietta will return to the hardwood Saturday (Jan. 30) when they travel to take on Baldwin Wallace University, with tip off scheduled for 6 p.m.