MARIETTA – It was a classic Ohio Athletic Conference slugfest for the first 32 minutes of the game as the Wilmington College men's basketball team battled #9 Marietta Saturday.
Neither team was able to gain a double-figure lead, and contest featured 13 lead changes and 13 ties during those 32 minutes. Ultimately, the experience of Marietta was too much for an inexperience Wilmington team, and the Pioneers escaped with the 81-72 OAC win at the Ban Johnson Arena.
After senior Zach McCorkle (Cincinnati, OH/Winton Woods) gave Wilmington the lead at 62-61 with 8:33 remaining, Marietta scored eight straight points to take the lead for good. Another McCorkle basket pulled the Fightin' Quakers to within two with 1:33 remaining.
A foul on a three-pointer led to two free throws, and a rebound on a missed third attempt that led to a lay-up, and the Marietta lead was back to seven.
McCorkle finished with 18 points and seven rebounds to lead Wilmington, while sophomore Christian Jones (Hamilton, OH/Hamilton) added 17 points.
Freshman Kevin Lewis (Cincinnati, OH/Clark Montessori) added eight points and six rebounds, while sophomore D.J. Iles (Fayetteville, OH/Fayetteville Perry) contributed eight points and a team-high three assists.
Wilmington (1-5 overall, 0-2 OAC) takes a week off for final exams before hosting John Carroll 3 p.m. Saturday, December 12.