WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team out-rebounded Marietta College 50-35 and outscored the Pioneers 43-30 in the second half en route to a 76-66 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory at Fred Raizk Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The win was the Quakers' first over Marietta in the previous nine meetings and second in the last decade.
"Our guys have been working, listening, taking hard coaching and today was a reflection of that," Head Coach Micah Mills said. "This group is resilient, and that is one of the many things our staff loves about this team!"
Neither team led by more than a possession for the first 15 minutes. It wasn't until a Domenic Farley three-pointer off an Obed Achirem steal at the 3:52 mark that either side led by more than three points as the long-distance shot put Wilmington ahead 31-26. The Pioneers would end the half on a 7-2 run capped by a Danny Flood three-pointer to give the visitors a 36-33 lead at halftime.
Marietta took a 42-36 lead on a Sahmi Willoughby layup at the 16:39 mark, but that would prove to be the visitors' largest lead of the contest. The hosts answered with a 10-0 over the next two minutes, and not even a Jon VanderWal timeout could stop it as out of the timeout, Domenic Farley nailed a three-pointer. After both teams traded baskets, an offensive putback pulled the Pioneers within a basket (48-46), but a Lucas Doty layup followed by two Collin Barker free throws forced another Marietta timeout.
David Sanford hit a jump shot right out of the timeout, but three minutes later, Abdul Kanu hit consecutive three-pointers to push Wilmington's advantage to 63-50 with 7:27 to play. Marietta got as close as 65-61, but five consecutive points from Bryce Bird sealed the win.
Wilmington finished 25-of-62 (40.3 percent) from the field to go along with 8-of-25 (32.0 percent) from distance and 18-of-27 (66.7 percent) at the free throw line. The Quakers also held a distinctive 50-35 advantage on the boards.
"To compete in the OAC, you have to rebound the basketball," said Mills. "We knew that was going to be huge key to today."
Marietta did not shoot the ball well from all three ranges. The Pioneers were held under 40 percent from the field, under 30 percent from distance and made just 9-of-20 (45.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The visitors also connected on just one triple in the second half.
Abdul Kanu led all scorers with 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while Bird had a season-best 19 points. Achirem added 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals while Farley chipped in 11 points off the bench.
Jac Alexander led Marietta with 16 points in defeat while Sanford had 11.
Wilmington (5-8, 1-5 OAC) heads to Muskingum University on Wednesday.
