The Marietta women’s basketball team entered the weekend 4-2 and then split with Wilmington 1-1. The Wilmington Quakers would be better entered the empty Ban Johnson arena on Friday and pulled out a hard-fought win over Marietta. It was a close matchup that ended with a 76-72 score in favor of Wilmington. Following the loss, Marietta went to Wilmington on Saturday and had a historic night, pulling out a win with a score of 96-66.
Friday night consisted of a tough matchup that left Marietta just short of the win. The first quarter was a back and forth with a total of 9 lead changes. The game continued to stay close throughout the second quarter, entering halftime with a 46-40 Wilmington lead. Marietta started the third quarter hot and kept it going to end the period with the lead 59-57. Throughout the fourth, the game continued to remain a close match, but ultimately Willmington came out on top.
Playing well for the Pioneers was freshman Hannah Schill, with 20 points and shooting 60% from deep. Also a freshman, Kelly Livering had a career high night, pouring in 18 points and handling 5 rebounds. Junio Kate Liston was dialed in from deep, hitting 5 threes for 15 points.
Photo by Rebecca Wheeler
Following the loss, Marietta went on the road to Wilmington for the second matchup. This time the Pioneers came in on fire and put on a huge three-point display that was a record for the college. As a collective group, they put in 16 threes which is a new school record. The Pioneers shot nearly 50% from the field and 53% from the three in contrast to the Quakers’ 36% and 30%. Junior Jill Congrove sparked the night with back-to-back threes early in the game. Marietta built off that to create the spectacular night from deep and controlled the rest of the game. The Lady Pioneers entered intermission with a lead of 52-39. The story stayed the same as Kate Liston nailed a pair of three-pointers in the third quarter. Nothing changed in the fourth as the final score ended 96-66.
After the early spark, Congrove went on to have a career high night in both points and assists with 19 and 5 respectively. Congrove, Liston, and Schill were all able to connect on four shots from behind the arch.
Following the 1-1 series and the historic night, the Pioneers currently sit at a three-way tie for second place in the OAC with a 5-3 record. The Pioneers have two shooters in the top 5 three-point percentages in the conference. Kate Liston holds the number three spot, shooting at a 50% clip. Kelly Levering is also shooting 50% from three at the number four spot. Sophomore Erin Hahn is placed at second place in the conference with 68 rebounds. She also leads the Marietta Pioneers basketball team, pouring in 70 points through eight games. The court general Congrove leads the team in assists, averaging 2 per game.
Marietta continues their series with the 4-4 Mount Union Raiders next weekend starting with a home game on Friday the 19th.
For more information on the team, click here.
By Logan Domer
ltd001@marietta.edu
