After a deadlocked score in the first half, Capital controlled the glass and paint all throughout the second half and went on to defeat Marietta College, 94-71, Saturday in Ohio Athletic Conference men’s basketball action. The loss drops Marietta to 8-10 overall and 3-6 in the OAC. The Comets improve to 7-11 overall and 2-7 in the OAC.

The teams traded three-pointers to begin the game as Jake Singleton and Elijah Harden both hit from beyond the arc in the Pioneers’ first two possessions. After Trenton Collins scored a layup and Singleton again nailed a three-pointer, the Pioneers led 13-6 going into the first media timeout.

The Comets climbed back with a layup from Se’Ron Calloway-White and a trey from McKane Finkenbine to cut the lead to one, but Singleton again hit from three-point range to slow the rally. Jai Guerra-Howard later knifed through the lane for a tough layup and scored the bonus free throw to put Marietta up by six points again. Capital powered back with a tip-in from Chris Mitchell and another three-pointer from Finkenbine to again cut the Pioneer lead to one.

Kamran Ensley entered the game for the Comets after a time out and made an immediate impact, scoring twice to give the Comets their first lead of the game at that point. Luke Powell returned the favor for the Pioneers as he came off the bench to power in a pair of layups to vault Marietta back in the lead.

After both teams exchanged the lead several times, the Pioneers got a dunk from Mason Wisniewski and a layup from Guerra-Howard to put them up three with 1:43 remaining in the half, but that is all they would score for the rest of the half. A Pioneer turnover in the finals seconds led to points for the Comets as Dallas Tucker converted a layup and both teams were tied at 40 going into halftime.

Although the Pioneers got a three-pointer from Singleton to begin the second half, the next several minutes were a disaster. Capital went on a 13-2 run, getting seven points from Julian Mitchell, to jump out to a 10-point lead. Another 13-1 run, led by six points by Finkenbine, pushed the lead to 20 with less than 13 minutes remaining.

The contest became out of reach as Calloway-White single-handedly scored 15 points for the Comets over the latter portion of the half, and Marietta had absolutely no answer. Capital would go on to cruise to a 94-71 victory.

Capital held the advantage of points in the paint (52-28), rebounds (36-25), fast break points (21-9), and Marietta was held scoreless in second chance opportunities (11-0).

Singleton led four Pioneers in double figures with 18 points, all of his shots from three-point range. Wisniewski went 7-of-10 from the field, on the way to 17 points. Harden and Collins both finished with 10 points apiece. Guerra-Howard finished with six points and led the Pioneers with five rebounds and five assists.

Calloway-White led all scorers with 31 points. Finkenbine finished with 16 points and seven assists. Chris Mitchell had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Marietta travels to battle Mount Union on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

WOMEN

In a game that featured 10 lead changes and six ties, the Marietta College women’s basketball team found themselves tied with Capital with three minutes remaining on Saturday in the Ban Johnson Arena. The Comets scored six unanswered points to close out the contest with a key conference win, 85-79. The Pioneers dropped to 9-9 overall and 4-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Capital improved to 12-6 overall and 5-4 in the OAC.

Marietta started strong as they got a driving layup from TJ Carpenter and a three-pointer from Ava Heller to jump out to an 8-1 advantage. After the Comets fought back to trail only by two, Abby Garner scored from the paint to slow the uprising. Late in the period, Kendall Sury got into the act and put up seven points to help give the Pioneers a six-point lead. Samaree Perkins answered with a three-pointer and Kyah Ewing scored on the next possession to cut the lead to one. On the final possession of the quarter, Kelsey Harlan turned the ball over and Ewing raced to the other end of the court for the go-ahead layup, giving Capital a 21-20 lead going into the second period.

Marietta opened the second period with a 10-0 run, fueled by seven points from Sury, to open a comfortable lead. After Kendall Spreen finally got the Comets on the board in the second with a three-pointer, the Pioneers answered with layups from Harlan and Sury to put the lead at double digits. Later in the period, Capital got back into the game with a 9-2 run, getting two big baskets from Perkins to cut the lead to six. After a Comet missed shot, the Pioneers quickly ran the floor in the final seconds and got a layup from Sury as the buzzer sounded. Marietta took a 49-39 lead into the intermission

Marietta got the first points of the third period as Emma Rasmussen hit from behind the arc, but the Pioneers were held scoreless for the next three and a half minutes. During the span, Capital scored 10 straight points, five from Izzy Rodriguez, to cut the lead to three. Later in the period, Spreen scored two consecutive three-pointers to give the Comets their first lead since the end of the first quarter. With less than three minutes left in the period, Garner scored on a driving layup and scored the bonus free throw to put Marietta back in the lead by two. The Pioneer defense kicked in and caused two straight turnovers, both of which generated points for Marietta. Capital again answered with a 7-0 run to close out the period, though, and took a 66-65 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

After both teams traded baskets to begin the fourth quarter, Marietta got a layup from Sarah Podkul and another jumper from Heller to lead by four at the 6:52 mark. Capital answered with seven straight points, including Spreen’s seventh three pointer of the game, to retake the lead. Heller’s three pointer with three minutes remaining tied the score at 79, but the Pioneers could make another shot, going 0-for-6 for the rest of the game. Kya Jordan hit a pair of midrange jumpers on consecutive possessions and Capital would edge the Pioneers with an 85-79 victory.

Sury led the Pioneers with a career-high 27 points and also led the team with six steals. Heller finished with 17 points and led with six rebounds. Harlan finished with 10 points.

Spreen led the Comets with 23 points, going 7-for-9 from three point range. Perkins scored 20 points, dished out five assists, and led with eight rebounds

Marietta will return home this Wednesday as they will host Mount Union. The tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m.