MARIETTA, Ohio – The ninth ranked Marietta College men's basketball team clinched the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title with a 105-72 win over Ohio Northern University on Saturday (Feb. 27) evening. The Pioneers improve to 9-1 overall and 9-1 in the OAC, while Ohio Northern slips to 3-6 on the season and 3-6 in the OAC.
The OAC title is Marietta's sixth regular season crown in the last seven years. Under head coach Jon VanderWal, the Pioneers have claimed seven regular season and three OAC Tournament championships.
Marietta awaits its opponent for the first round of the OAC Tournament. The Pioneers will be at home on Tuesday at p.m.
"It's a weird year with only playing 10 games. But we did it better than anyone else in the league," VanderWal said. "Our guys have been incredible. They have made so many sacrifices and they deserve to be honored and feel good about what they have accomplished. I'm super proud of them."
It was a back-and-forth battle in the early minutes as the game was tied or the lead changed hands five times in the first four minutes of play. Marietta held a slim 7-6 lead. The early Pioneer offense came from a pair of layups from Brett Martin and a three from Mason Lydic.
Marietta stretched its lead to a 17-6 advantage behind a 10-0 run. The run was sparked by two straight three pointers from Copper Parrott and Jac Alexander, and the run forced an Ohio Northern timeout.
Out of the break, after a bucket by the Polar Bears, the Pioneers went on a 7-0 streak that put them on top 24-8 at the 12:06 mark of the half. The spurt was started by a layup from Sahmi Willoughby, highlighted by a three from Parrott and capped by a layup from Kyle Matozskia.
The teams played even over the final 12 minutes of the half as Marietta outscored the Polar Bears 28-26 over the span. Matozskia led the Marietta offense during that stretch with 11 points. The Pioneers entered the intermission ahead, 52-34.
After a pair of buckets by Ohio Northern, the Pioneers rattled off a 15-4 run that extended their lead to 69-42, five minutes into the half. The run was sparked by five points from Lukas Isaly and four points from Lydic.
Over the next five minutes of play the teams traded buckets and Marietta maintained a 79-52 edge. Ryan Reidy led the offense during the span with four points. Later in the half a 10-2 run pushed the Pioneers advantage to 92-59 when Isaly capped the run with a trey.
Marietta maintained its stranglehold on the game and won 105-72.