WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College women's basketball team led for over 36 minutes, but Marietta College took the lead on a corner three-pointer with 31 seconds to play and escaped Fred Raizk Arena with a 66-63 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory.
After the first six-plus minute saw the Pioneers cling to a 13-12 lead, the Quakers scored the final 10 points of the quarter which included three-points from both Zahrya Bailey and Marisa Seiler. In total, Wilmington was 4-of-6 from distance in the first 10 minutes and led 22-13.
That advantage grew to 17 points (32-15) as Kennedy Lewis made a layup with 5:349 to play in the quarter. From the end of the first quarter to the start of the second, the Quakers went on a 16-0 run. Trailing by 17, Marietta closed the gap and fast, scored on 8-of-9 possessions to end the half. The final basket of the half, a baseline triple from Olivia Gribble, made the score 36-33 at halftime.
Five points from Seiler opened the half to push the host's advantage to eight, a margin that would remain midway through the fourth quarter. A free throw from Brooke Stover made the score 60-52, but the Quakers would get stuck on 60 four five minutes. The Pioneers pulled to within a point on a Devin Hefner layup, but a rainbow triple from Kennedy Lewis put the hosts up 63-59 with 1:26 to go. Two Marietta free throws followed, and after a Quaker miss, Hefner found Gribble in the corner for the go-ahead triple with 31 seconds to play.
Trailing 64-63 and out of a timeout, Wilmington got an open look for three, but Kyria Walker's shot was off the mark. The Quakers were forced to foul, and after two Gribble free throws, a potential game-tying triple from Lewis was just short.
Both teams shot 41 percent from the field and combined to miss just three of 22 free throws. The Quakers connected on 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from distance while the Pioneers were just 5-of-18 (27.8 percent). Marietta made up the difference by making two more field goals and three more free throws. Both teams grabbed exactly 33 rebounds and committed less than 10 turnovers.
Seiler led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting with five rebounds. Walker added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench while Lewis had nine points and three assists. For Marietta, Gribble finished with 10 points while Makenzie Wilson had 10.
Wilmington (8-5, 2-4 OAC) closes out a three-game homestand with Muskingum University on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
