Posted: Feb 25, 2020
MARIETTA, Ohio – The Wilmington College men's basketball team, which lost at Marietta College by over 30 points in the regular season, gave the Pioneers all they could handle in an 83-78 victory for the hosts in an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday evening.
The win advances Marietta to the OAC Tournament semifinals and ends Wilmington's season.
Unlike the first game in Ban Johnson Arena, the Pioneers did not blow the game open early. A Jason Ellis triple put the hosts up 16-9 five minutes, but four points from Jeffery Mansfield and a basket from Matt Smith cut the deficit to one two minutes later. The Pioneers stretched their advantage up to nine points (32-23) with 5:27 to play, but triples from Smith and Mansfield got the Quakers back within four points.
A Wilmington stop followed, and Aaron Mullins converted two free throws after being fouled to get back within a single possession at 34-31. The visitors looked to take that same margin, though by a score of 41-38, into halftime, but Marietta banked in a triple at the buzzer to lead 44-38 to the locker room.
Tim Kreeger opened the half with a basket for Marietta, but a dunk from Abdul Kanu and a triple from DaeShawn Jackson pulled the Quakers back within a single possession. The Pioneers drew the lead back to eight, but once, again a Jackson triple from the same wing pulled the visitors back within a possession at 54-53.
Marietta, which lost at home as the No. 7 seed in the OAC Tournament quarterfinals last season, held the lead until Wilmington ramped up its defensive pressure around the 8:00 mark. Consecutive steals from Payton Smith and Kanu at midcourt led to transition layups. After a stop, Kanu hit a step-back jumper to tie the game 66-66.
Ellis then took control for the Pioneers, rattling off eight straight points including back-to-back triples to take a five-point advantage. Neither team could get a stop as Marietta scored on three consecutive layups while Matt Smith hit a three-pointer and Mansfield drove in for a layup for Wilmington. Trailing 80-76, a Quaker triple was off the mark, and fouled with under a minute to play. Kreeger missed both free throws, but Wilmington couldn't make the hosts pay as it missed three field goal attempts on the ensuing possession, sealing a Marietta victory.
Both teams shot well from the field as Marietta made 28-of-54 (51.9 percent) compared to 30-of-65 (46.2 percent) for Wilmington. The Pioneers made two more triples (10-8) and seven more free throws (17-10). The game also featured a stark contrast of styles as Marietta, which entered the game leading the OAC in rebounding, held a 40-22 edge on the boards. Conversely, Wilmington, which led the league in turnover margin, had 10 steals and forced 21 turnovers.
Individually, Mansfield led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-22 shooting while Kanu added 17 points on 7-of-11 from the field to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Matt Smith poured in a career-high 15 points.
Four Pioneers scored in double figures including Ellis's 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting from distance. Kreeger scored 15 points and missed a double-double by a single rebound.
Wilmington finishes its 2019-20 campaign with a 10-16 overall record.