Records fall in men's OAC opener against Heidelberg

OAC foes set Conference record for total points in Pioneers' 136-120 loss

Dec. 4 , 2004
TIFFIN, Ohio - The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) got its first glimpse of the Pioneers' exciting new style when Marietta met Heidelberg Saturday (Dec. 4). Fans in attendance were not disappointed as the two OAC foes combined to set some records in Heidelberg's 136-120 victory.

Marietta (1-5, 0-1 OAC) and Heidelberg (3-3, 1-0 OAC) combined to score and OAC record 256 points. In addition, Heidelberg set an OAC record with 31 assists and were sure to break many school records.The Pioneers set the school record for field goal attempts with 118.

Senior Matt Hines (Waverly/Eastern Pike) went 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the floor to finish with a career-high 31 points. He brought his career total to 1,121 points, which ranks 18th all-time for a Marietta player. Hines also collected nine rebounds and two steals in the game.

Freshman Josh Hull (Nitro, WV/Poca) added a career-high 25 points on 5-of-10 (50.0%) from the floor, including 4-of-7 (57.1%) from long range. Hull was a perfect 11-for-11 from the line to tie the school record for free throw percentage.

Sophomore Chad Sponseller (Canton/GlenOak) went 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the field, 5-of-13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc, to finish with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore Matt Rucker (Proctorville/Chesapeake) and freshman Matt Starner (Moxahala/Miller) each finished with nine points in loss.

Seven Student Princes finished in double figures. T.J. Johnson led the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Shawn Shriver added 20 in the win.

Heidelberg held a 72-58 halftime lead and led by as many as 24 in the first half. Marietta cut the lead to seven at 88-81 with 13:12 to go in the game, but could not get any closer as the Student Princes shot 54-of-86 (62.8%) from the field. The Pioneers finished 45-of-118 (38.1%) from the floor. MC set a school record for rebounds with the 64-to-51 advantage on the boards.

Marietta will look to bounce back Wednesday (Dec. 8) when it hosts Capital at 7:30 p.m.

Senior Matt Hines scored a career-high 31 points in MC's 136-120 loss to Heidelberg in its OAC opener

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