The Marietta College men's basketball team opened the 2012-13 season in a big way, defeating Frostburg State 109-83 Friday at Ban Johnson Arena.
The Pioneers opened up the game with a 9-2 run, powered by a layup from Jason Humphrey, a jumper from Tyler Hammond, and a 3-pointer and layup from Brennan McKean.
Seven points from Christian Jackson helped Frostburg cut the lead to 14-12. With the game tied at 16-16, Andy Stegman hit a trey, assisted by Tyler Worstell,
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JORDAN HOLLAND The Marietta Times
Marietta College’s J.J. Martin (21) kisses one off the glass for two against Frostburg State in the Pioneers’ season opener at Ban Johnson Arena Friday night.
to put MC back on top. After two foul shots from Jackson made it 19-18, Marietta scored nine unanswered points, five from Worstell and four from J.J. Martin, to extend the lead to 28-18.
A layup by Kwambina Coker made it 28-20 before Garret Stephenson answered with a 3-pointer to make it 31-20. McKean kept it going with his second 3-ball of the game to increase the Pioneer advantage to 34-20, forcing a Frostburg timeout.
McKean finished with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
"We moved the ball around well tonight," said McKean, a sophomore wing. "We got open shots and the ball around. We've got good shooters, so we put 'em in."
Later, with 3:22 remaining in the half, McKean hit another 3-pointer to give a 48-30 lead, its highest advantage of the half. Frostburg would go on an 11-4 run to close the half, making it 52-41 at the break.
Marietta opened the second half much like it did the first half - dominant. After making it 64-49, the Pios scored 10 straight points, fueled by 3-pointers from Martin and Scott Kimmey and consecutive baskets for Stephenson. After Frostburg got a layup from David Patrick, Marietta went on another 10-0 run. This time, five points from Tyler Thomas and a 3-pointer from Jacob Owens paced the stretch.
"I thought our kids just played well together," said MC head coach Jon VanderWal. "They did a great job of sharing the basketball and finding the open guy. Obviously, we made some shots. That always helps. I thought it was a great effort by our kids tonight."
Marietta hit triple digits on a layup by Matt Napier, extending the lead to 101-70. The Bobcats outscored the pioneers 13-8 to close the game, but to no avail.
Marietta was led in scoring by Martin who had 16 points. Kimmey contributed 12 points on 4-for-5 from 3-point land and Humphrey chipped in with 10. Humphrey also had a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Pioneers now set their sights on No. 21 Ohio Wesleyan in the 42nd Annual Shrine Tournament Championship today at 7 p.m.
Wesleyan defeated Defiance 69-55 Friday and will be a tough match for Marietta.
"Wesleyan is a really good team," VanderWal said. "They have a lot of size down low, and they are extremely well coached. We're gonna watch film all night long. It's a tough, tough challenge."
Women's basketball
Marietta 53, Albion 47
The Marietta Lady Pioneers also began their season with a victory, a 53-47 triumph over Albion College. Marietta was paced by Jessica Brogan, who scored 12 points. Tori Dixon chipped in with 10 points, while Tasha Helmstetter and Heather Booth each had six. Booth also led the team with seven boards.
Marietta shot just 35.1 percent for the game, but defended well, forcing Albion to a 27.7 shooting percentage.
The win was head coach Stacia Shrider's first as a head coach. The Lady Pioneers are back in action today against the College of Mount St. Joseph.
