Muskie comeback ruins Pioneers' upset aspirations
Marietta allows 22-6 run over final seven minutes in loss

Feb. 8, 2006
MARIETTA, Ohio - The 144th installment of the Marietta vs. Muskingum men's basketball rivalry Wednesday (Feb. 6) evening at Fenton Court had the components of what every rival game tends to have. Both team's top scorers took turn carrying their squads and the outcome came down to the final minute.

Unfortunately for Marietta, however, it was not able to hold a 14-point second half lead down the stretch and the third-place Muskies escaped with an 80-77 victory. With the win, Muskingum improved to 15-6, 11-4 in the OAC, while Marietta fell to 4-18, 1-14 in league play.

The game was tight for the first nine minutes of play. Marietta sophomore Craig Stewart (Circleville) was able to connect on two of his first three from beyond the arc. The first was his 86th of the year, setting a new single-season record for three-pointers at Marietta. The second tied the game at 8-8.

Muskingum was then able to build a 28-16 lead with 7:56 to go in the half, only fro Marietta to end the half on a 18-5 run to take a 34-33 advantage into intermission. The Pioneers hits six three-pointers in the half.

Marietta was able to strengthen its lead in the second half and eventually got the advantage up to 14 points, 71-57, with 7:12 on the clock. From there, Muskingum went on its 22-6 run to steal the victory.

Trevor Scott scored the final basket for the Muskies on a put back off a missed runner in the lane by Brandon Todd, who orchestrated the comeback. Marietta had one last chance to tie the game, but a Chad Sponseller (Canton/GlenOak) three-pointer was off the mark and time expired.

Four Marietta starters finished in double figures. Freshman Isaiah Creasap (Wooster/Northwestern) connected on 5-of-12 from long range to finish with a team-high 19 points. Sophomore Matt Phillips also contributed 16 points and five rebounds.

Stewart added 4-of-8 three-point attempts to score 16 points and bring his three-point total to 89 with three games remaining. He is 12 shy of breaking the OAC's single-season record.

Steve Luckhardt (Shadyside) finished with a double-double. He had 11 points to go along with five rebounds and a career-high 10 assists, one shy of Marietta's single-game record.

Muskingum was paced by Todd, who came off the bench to score 22 points, while contributing seven assists, six rebounds, and four steals. Cole Pittis added 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Zach Ross had 14 points in the win.

Marietta will return to action Saturday (Feb. 11) when it plays its final road game of the year. Tip-off with Ohio Northern is slated for 3 p.m.

Craig Stewart broke the school record for three-pointers in a season Wednesday. He now has hit 89 on the year

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