ALLIANCE, Ohio — Mount Union's half-court shot at the buzzer was off the mark as No. 22 ranked Marietta College escaped with a 70-67 win Wednesday (Jan. 12) night in Ohio Athletic Conference women's basketball action.
Marietta improves to 13-1 on the season and 6-1 in the OAC. The Purple Raiders fall to 3-7 overall and 1-4 in conference games.
"Our team is really growing up. We haven't beat Mount up there in three years, so to be able leave Alliance with a win is really special," Marietta head coach Kole Vivian said. "Mount Union brings so much pressure, and I think our team handled it really well. Our posts were the big difference tonight. We were shorthanded, and they really stepped up and our guards did a great job playing inside out."
Mount Union got two free throws from Emma Cannon with seven seconds left in the game to get within two points, 69-67. The Purple Raiders were forced to foul and sent Makenzie Wilson to the line with three seconds remaining.
Wilson made the first free throw but missed the second. Cannon got the rebound and raced up the floor launching a desperation shot from half-court. The buzzer sounded with the ball in midair and the shot hit the board to the left of the rim as Marietta celebrated the victory.
Wilson notched a double-double to lead the Pioneers with career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. She added three assists, three blocks and three steals for an outstanding all-around performance.
Erin Hahn finished with 15 points and six boards to go along with five steals on defense. Olivia Gribble added 10 points, while Devin Hefner had eight points and five rebounds.
Mount Union led for much of the first quarter. A layup from Hannah Schill with 1:54 left in the period tied the game at 13 and then Hannah Kroft hit a jumper on the next possession to give Marietta its first lead of the game, 17-15. The Purple Raiders scored the final bucket of the quarter tying the game at 15.
The Pioneers used a 6-0 run early in the second quarter to build a five-point lead, 22-17. Mount Union rallied back to even the game at 25 with 2:42 remaining in the first half. Marietta took a slim 32-30 lead into halftime.
Cannon scored the first basket of the third quarter to quickly erase the Pioneer lead. Marietta scored the next seven points and never trailed again. Cannon drained a three-pointer in the final seconds of the third quarter to keep the Purple Raiders close as Marietta led 50-47 heading into the fourth quarter.
A three-pointer from Hefner with 3:36 left in the game gave Marietta its biggest lead of the game, 57-65. Mount Union gradually closed the gap getting to within two points on Cannon's two free throws with seven seconds left.
Cannon led all scorers with 22 points and grabbed five rebounds. Sarah Meech added 14 points and four boards for the Purple Raiders.
Marietta returns home to host Heidelberg on Saturday (Jan. 15). Tip-off in ban Johnson Arena is set for 2 p.m.