MARIETTA, Ohio—Sophomore guard Kathleen Phillips (Sandusky/St. Mary's) recorded her first career double-double today, but the Heidelberg University women's basketball team fell to Marietta College, 86-69, in an Ohio Athletic Conference game at Ban Johnson Arena in Marietta, Ohio. The game was the first of three straight games on the road to close the 2011-12 season.
Phillips led all scorers with 22 points and pulled down a team-high ten rebounds to lead Heidelberg (4-18, 1-14 OAC). Freshman guard Paige Ricketts (Mineral City/Tusky Valley) added 10 tallies of her own and junior guard Jordan Ickes (Wooster/Triway) and freshman forward Jessica Simpkins (Sunbury/Big Walnut) each had eight points. The Berg has lost 10 straight games.
Four Pioneers, led by Aleisha Guiler's 16 points and game-high 14 rebounds, scored in double figures for Marietta (10-13, 5-11 OAC). Kristeva Rowe scored 13 points and Heather Booth and Tori Dixon each tallied 12.
After trailing 3-2 to start the game, the Berg went on a 9-2 run and took an 11-5 lead at 15:28 following a jumper by sophomore guard Emily Giel (Burton/Burkshire). The Tri-Color increased its lead to 15-9 four minutes letter when Ricketts made a lay-up at 11:22.
Marietta then went on a 9-2 run of its own to take an 18-17 lead at the 8:39 mark when Booth made a fast break lay-up. The Pioneers extended their run to 18-2, taking a 27-17 lead when Lindsay Deemer made one of two free throws at the 5:28 mark.
Heidelberg put a stop to the run, scoring its first points in nearly four minutes, as junior forward Molly Schriber (Sidney) started a 'Berg run with a lay-up and then converted the three-point play to cut the deficit to 27-20.
Marietta continued to lead throughout the first half, building an advantage as large as 11 points on two separate occasions, with the last coming with just 33 seconds remaining as Rachel Jones drained a three-pointer.
In the second half, Heidelberg would cut the deficit to as few as six points after Schriber made one of two free throws at the 14:59 mark, but Marietta went on a 24-10 jaunt to take its first 20-point lead of the game when Rowe canned a triple to give the Pioneers a 75-55 lead at 6:38 and would coast the rest of the way.
The Berg shot 35.0 (21-of-60) percent from the field and made just one three-pointer in 12 attempts, but was 76.5 (36-of-34) from the line.
Marietta was 45.6 (31-of-68) from the field and made nine three-pointers.
Heidelberg opens the final week of the season Wednesday, Feb. 11 at Otterbein University at 7:30 p.m.