Late run lifts Otterbein men past Marietta 78-68
Stewart pulls within one three-pointer of tying his single-season record

Feb. 1, 2006
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — The Marietta College men's basketball team gave host Otterbein a run for its money Wednesday (Feb.1) evening, but the Cardinals were able to put together a late 20-10 run to send the Pioneers home with a 78-68 defeat.

With the loss, Marietta fell to 4-16, 1-12 in the OAC, while Otterbein reached .500 at 10-10 and improved to 6-7 in league play.

Despite abandoning the Fun & Gun, the three-point shot kept Marietta in the game throughout. Leading the assault for the Pioneers, who connected on 10-of-30 (.333) from beyond the arc, was sophomore Craig Stewart. Stewart drilled 6-of-13 three-point attempts to finish with a game-high 20 points. It brought his season total to 84 three-pointers, one shy of Marietta's single-season record that he set in 2004-05. He is now 16 shy of the OAC record with five games to play.

Sophomore Matt Phillips supported Stewart's outside game with a strong presence in the paint. Phillips finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the year. In addition, Steve Luckhardt added 11 points, while Adam Rockhold had six points and six rebounds in the loss.

Otterbein had five players finish in double figures. Tommy Young led the way with 17 points, Ross Banaszak and Adam Wells each had 15, while Scott Cores added 12 and Tyler Ousley finished with 11 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Wells also contributed seven assists in the win.

Marietta held an early eight-point lead, 24-16, eight minutes into the game, only for Otterbein to go on a 23-6 run over the next eight minutes to take a 39-30 advantage. A three-pointer by Stewart with just over a minute to play in the half, sent Otterbein into the locker room with just a five-point lead, 43-38.

Otterbein again led by eight points, 52-44, with 14:26 to play in the contest. This time, it was Marietta who went on a run, outscoring the Cardinals 12-0 over a three and a half minute span to take the lead 56-52. Stewart hit three from deep in the run.

The lead proved to be short-lived however, as regain the advantage 60-58 with under eight minutes to play. The Cardinals extended their lead to 12 down the stretch, but time ran out and Marietta had to settle for the 78-68 loss.

The Pioneers will return to action Saturday (Feb. 4) as part of Winter Weekend doubleheader against Heidelberg. The men will battle in game two at 3 p.m., while the women will start things off on Fenton Court at 1 p.m.

Craig Stewart's six three-pointers were not enough, as MC fell to Otterbein 78-68 Wednesday

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