Robert Nelson
Marietta College basketball player, Jason Ellis, catches fire and drops 51 in a victorious effort against rival John Carroll University. Ellis played a lead role in a pair of OAC victories last week, as the Pioneers went on to defeat Otterbein, 78-56, and John Carroll in a close one, 104-98. The undefeated Pioneers moved up one spot to No. 7 in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 rankings. The Blue Streaks drop to 5-2 overall and 0-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference
Against the Blue Streaks, Ellis shot 13-17 at 76.5% on field-goal attempts and 8 of 11 from the three-point line. He also shot 17 of 19 from the free-throw line. Hall of Famer, Don Whiting, set the bar high at 54 points in 1916, but Ellis was on his heels in his recent scoring effort.
Ellis managed to average 30.5 points and 3.5 rebounds on the week, and he leads the Pioneers in scoring averaging 21.5 points per game.
Ellis had to step into a much bigger role this year to ensure his team’s success, and he has not shown any fear of the moment. Due to his recent efforts, he was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week Tuesday (Dec. 10) evening. Additionally, he was named the Ohio Athletic Conference’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, which was the first time he has received that honor in his career.
Christian James tied a career-high in scoring with 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Mason Lydic dropped 10 points himself, along with a career-high 6 assists. Senior Mike Hall played a huge role in the victory as he was able to grab a career-high 10 rebounds.
Ellis is surely not done putting up incredible numbers as the Pioneers look to remain undefeated in Lexington, Kentucky at the Transylvania Don Lane Classic on December 17 and 18. The first game will be against Transylvania on Tuesday (Dec. 17) at 1 p.m., and the following day will be the consolation game at 1 p.m. and the championship at 3 p.m.
For more information visit https://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2019/12/7/mens-basketball-51-points-from-jason-ellis-leads-8-marietta-over-john-carroll-104-98.aspx.
