LATROBE, Penn. – The Marietta College women’s basketball team put together a strong fourth quarter performance to earn a 61-50 road victory over Saint Vincent College on Saturday (Nov. 16) afternoon. With the win, the Pioneers move to 2-1 overall and the Bearcats fall to 0-3.

“I’m really proud of our team for sticking together and grinding out that win,” said Head Coach Jenna Andersen. “It wasn’t the prettiest, but I’m happy with the bounce back from our last game.”

The Pioneers got off to an 8-2 start as Ally Grake and Adi Hill fired in three-pointers around a Paige Tolson lay-in. With less than three minutes in the quarter, TJ Carpenter stole the ball and fed Sophia Murray with a great pass, leading to a layup and 12-4 lead. Abby Garner’s fast break layup on the next possession gave the Pioneers a 10-point advantage. The Bearcats went on a mini five point run to cut into the lead to close out the quarter. The Pioneers led 16-10 after one quarter of play.

Both teams started the second quarter with some cold shooting, as nearly two minutes passed without a score. Murray’s fast break layup ended the drought and Kelsey Harlan’s trey at the 6:23 mark put the lead at nine. The Bearcats cut into the advantage with a pair of layups and trailed by four points with less than two minutes remaining. Emma Rasmussenfollowed with a three-pointer of her own and Murray converted yet another layup in the closing seconds and Marietta led 31-23, at the intermission.

The Pioneers were seemingly in control as the third quarter began as Ella McMillen nailed a pair of jumpers to put the lead at 35-23, but the Bearcats shut Marietta down for the final six minutes of the period. As the Pioneers were held scoreless, Saint Vincent went on an 8-0 run, including a pair of jumpers from Reese Gadsby, and Marietta held a slim 36-34 lead as time expired in the third quarter.

Momentum swung back to the Pioneers as the fourth quarter began. Hannah Kroft converted a layup and Hill hit from three-point range. Saint Vincent tried to stay close with some free throws, but Sophie Nelson’s three-pointer and Carpenter’s layup with bonus free throw put the lead at a comfortable 10 points. The Bearcats could not overcome the deficit and the Pioneers finally secured the 61-50 non-conference victory.

The Pioneers were led by Murray who scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Hill chipped in with eight points. Kroft, Rasmussen, and Nelson all added six points apiece.

The Pioneers will be back in action this Friday when they host the 38th Annual Jim Meagle Classic sponsored by BSN Sports. The Pioneers will battle Calvin University in the second game of the evening. Kenyon College will battle Mount Union in the first game with a scheduled tipoff of 6 p.m. Location for these games are pending, based on where the Marietta College volleyball team lands in their NCAA Volleyball Regional. The following day, at the Ban Johnson Arena, the Purple Raiders will take on Calvin at 1 p.m. and the Pioneers will battle the Owls following that at approximately 3 p.m.