Sports
Marietta men’s basketball: Pioneers go cold, fall to Capital
By: Ian McConville
Posted on:
The Marietta Pioneers suffered another setback in their quest for a repeat OAC title, losing to conference foe Capital, 82-66.
The Crusaders jumped out to an early 10-point lead on the Pioneers after going on a 14-3 run to take the lead 19-9 before seven minutes had passed. The lead would get as big as 15 before Marietta rallied off 19 unanswered points to take a shaky-at-best 40-37 advantage into the dressing room.
An early 8-0 Capital run set the tone for the second half, as Marietta lost its lead and never regained it. The Pioneers went cold, shooting only 32 percent from the floor in the second stanza, while the Crusaders shot a blazing 61 percent after the break.
The Pioneers got as close as six points, but it wasn’t enough, as a 7-0 Crusader run put away Marietta for good.
Jason Humphrey led the way for Marietta on Wednesday, tallying 19 points and three steals. Marietta's Jacob Owens was held in check for the most part, hitting only two three-pointers on his way to a 10-point performance.
Meanwhile, Capital watched four of its athletes score double figures, led by a game-high 22-point outpouring from Kelly Winter. Winter also snagged five rebounds and dished four assists. Michael Sommer cashed in for 14 points, while Mitch Westerhide and Spencer Niekamp rounded out the Crusaders top four with 12- and 11- point performances, respectively.
Overall, Marietta was only able to hit 40.4 percent of its shots from the floor, shooting 21-52 for the game. Capital was 28-52 from the field, for a shooting percentage of 54.9.
The Pioneers were outworked on the glass; they lost the battle of the boards 35-29.
Marietta must right the ship quickly, as the road ahead gets no easier. The Pioneers' next contest is at OAC leader John Carroll. That game is scheduled for Saturday, with the tip at 2 p.m.
@woubnews