MARIETTA, Ohio — Jayden Bradshaw drained a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in double overtime giving Marietta College a 103-102 victory over Ohio Northern University Saturday (Dec. 16) afternoon in Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers improve to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Ohio Northern falls to 3-6 on the season and 0-4 in the OAC.
 
"It's play we run and work on in practice. I told the guys in the huddle that we can do this," Marietta head coach Jon VanderWal said. "Everything was great. The pass, the catch, Sahmi's pass and obviously Jayden's shot. Give Ohio Northern credit, they did everything to win this game and we stole it at the end"
 
The Pioneers got a pair of free throws from De'Ovion Price with 16 seconds left in the second overtime to tie the game, 100-100. Ohio Northern retook the lead on a jumper from Carter Reese with three seconds remaining.
 
Following a Marietta timeout, Jack Main inbounded the ball and threw a long pass to Sahmi Willoughby in the middle of the floor. Willoughby immediately passed the ball to Jayden Bradshaw for the game-winning three-pointer.
 
"I had the hot hand was able to knock down the shot," Bradshaw said. "They were pressuring us on defense, but we stuck together and executed at the end and came away with the win."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 
Ohio Northern score the first points of the game on a layup from Cayden Jacoby. The Pioneers responded with four straight points and never trailed the rest of the half. Marietta led by as many as 12 points, 19-7, and took a 40-32 lead into halftime.
 
Marietta maintained its lead through most of the second half. A jumper from Lovenson Xavier at the 9:38 mark made it 62-51. The Polar Bears went on a 17-6 run to tie the game, 68-68, with 5:26 left in regulation. Reese gave ONU its first lead, 74-73, since the opening basket of the game on a layup with 58 seconds left.
 
The Pioneers responded with the next four points and led 78-76 with 22 seconds remaining. Ohio Northern missed a shot on the ensuing possession but came up with the offensive rebound.
 
Following a Marietta timeout, Reese was fouled on a three-point attempt with four seconds left on the clock. Reese made the first free throw, missed the second and made the third to tie the game, 78-78. Marietta's final three-point shot was off the mark sending the game into overtime.
 
Marietta never trailed during the first overtime period. A Willoughby layup gave the Pioneers an 87-84 lead with one minute left in the first overtime. The Polar Bears missed a three-point attempt but got another offensive rebound. Reese nailed the second change three-pointer to tie the game, 87-87, and send it to a second overtime period.
 
Ohio Northern scored first in the second overtime period and built a five-point lead, 98-93, on. A triple from Reese with 2:35 left in the period. Marietta answered with a 7-3 run to knot the score at 100 and setup the thrilling ending.
 
Bradshaw and David Sanford led the Pioneers with 18 points each. Bradshaw hit 4-of-7 from behind the arc as he scored a career-high for MC. Willoughby finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Jac Alexander chipped in with 14 points, while Frank Waganfeald added 10 points.
 
ONU's Will Miller connected on five three-pointers and led all scorers with 27 points. Reese added 25 points, while Cayden Jacoby and Jadi Cunningham had 19 and 11 points, respectively. Jacoby grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots.
 
Marietta heads to Puerto Rico for two games next week. The Pioneers play Messiah University at 11:00 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday (Dec. 19) and Lancaster Bible College at 1:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday (Dec. 20).