MARIETTA, Ohio — Jason Ellis and Lukas Isaly combined for 56 points as No. 3 Marietta College defeated John Carroll University by the score of 88-74 Saturday (Feb. 5) afternoon in Ohio Athletic Conference men's basketball action.
Marietta moves to 18-2 on the season and has now won 16 straight games. The Pioneers have a two-game lead in the OAC standings with a perfect 13-0 league record. John Carroll falls to 7-11 overall and 2-9 in the OAC.
"Lukas and Jason really stepped up and made some big plays for us. I thought our offensive rebounding in the second half was the difference in the game. We kept giving ourselves second and third chances to score and Jason and Lukas were the beneficiaries with a lot of kick-out threes."
Ellis led all scorers with 32 points. He drained seven three-pointers and was 10-of-20 from the floor. Isaly hit six triples and finished with 24 points and six assists.
The Pioneers connected on a season-high 16 buckets from three-point range. Marietta was 16-of-37 from behind the arc. MC actually shot better from long distance, 43.2%, than from the floor, 42.0%.
John Carroll scored the first six points of the game on three-pointers from Eric Hanna and Connor O'Toole. Hanna sank three from long range as the Blue Streaks built a 10-point lead, 22-12, forcing a Marietta timeout midway through the first half.
Out of the break, Marietta went on a 13-2 run to take its first lead of the game, 25-24, three minutes later. Ellis triggered the run with back-to-back three-pointers. Isaly hit a triple and then Ellis added his third of the rally.
The teams traded small leads the rest of the first half. Tim Kreeger converted one of two free throws tying the game, 38-38, at halftime.
The back-and-forth game continued through the first 10 minutes of the second half. Another Ellis three-pointer gave the Pioneers the lead, 56-55, with 10:43 remaining. Marietta would not relinquish the lead again.
A 15-4 Pioneer run gave Marietta its first double digit lead of the afternoon, 74-62, with 5:49 left on the clock. Three-pointers from Ellis and Isaly and a pair of baskets from Sahmi Willoughby keyed the Marietta spurt.
John Carroll managed to cut the deficit to eight points only to see the Pioneers scored the next eight points and put the game out of reach. Isaly's final three-pointer extended the MC lead to 16 points, 88-72, with just over a minute left in the game.
In addition to Ellis and Kreeger, Willoughby recorded his second straight double-double, and fourth of the season, with 11 points and 11 rebounds, including 10 caroms on the offensive glass. Kreger chipped in with seven points and six boards.
Jackson Sartain led the Blue Streaks with 17 points to go along with seven boards. Hanna finished with 16 points and five rebounds, while O'Toole added 10 points. William Wallace dished out seven assists and had eight points.
Marietta travels to Alliance on Wednesday (Feb. 12) for a showdown with No. 14 Mount Union. The Purple Raiders are 18-2 overall and 11-2 in the OAC. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.