Jan. 27, 2007
WILMINGTON, Ohio — Turnovers were the difference Saturday (Jan. 27) afternoon in Marietta College's 67-64 loss to Wilmington College. The Quakers forced the Pioneers to give the ball away 24 times, leading directly to 33 points. [Box Score]

The win improves Wilmington's record to 12-7 overall and 7-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Marietta falls to 5-14, 1-11 in league play.

Marietta jumped out to a 11-2 lead 2:28 into the contest, as sophomore Isaiah Creasap (Wooster/Northwestern) hit a three-pointer and added a three-point play, while junior Adam Rockhold (Olmsted Falls) contributed a jumper and junior Kyle Reed (Burbank/Northwestern) nailed one from deep.

The Pioneers led by eight points, 17-9, after junior Matt Phillips (Williamson, W.Va./Tug Valley) scored a lay-up at the 13:59 mark of the first half. From there, baskets by seven different Quakers led to a 16-3 run over the next 6:12 to give Wilmington a 25-20 advantage with 7:47 left in the half. The Quakers remained on top the rest of the stanza, taking a 36-32 lead into the locker room.

Marietta opened the second frame on a 11-2 run to reclaim the lead, 43-38, with just over 14 minutes to go in the game. Wilmington took the lead for good, breaking a 54-54 tie, when Kevin Colson hit a jumper at the 6:10 mark. The Pioneers trailed by three points, 64-61, after a pair of free throws by Wilkinson with 19 seconds left in the game. Wilmington then split a pair from the line and then followed a Marietta missed three-pointer with two more from the line to go up six, 67-61, with four ticks remaining. Wilkinson's three-pointer at the buzzer made the final score 67-64.

The Pioneers shot 20-of-51 (.392) from the field, 6-of-18 (.333) from long range and 18-of-21 (.857) from the line. The Quakers finished 23-of-53 (.434) from the floor, 4-of-11 (.364) from deep and 17-of-22 (.773) from the charity stripe. Marietta was dominant on the glass, out rebounding Wilmington 41-26. However, the Pioneers' 24 turnovers compared to the Quakers' 12 were too much to overcome.

Creasap led the Pioneers with 15 points, 12 of which came in the first half. Reed finished with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. It was his first career double-double. Wilkinson added 11 points, five rebounds and three steals against his younger brother's team. Phillips ended the game with eight points, while senior Matt Rucker (Proctorville/Chesapeake) added seven points and seven rebounds.

Wilmington was paced by Fred Harrison with 16 points, eight of which came from the free throw line. Colson added 15 points and six rebounds, while Justin Gaines contributed 12 points. Kerry Wilkinson, Ryan's brother, had four points in the win.

Marietta returns home Wednesday (Jan. 31) to play host to Capital at 7:30 p.m.

Junior Kyle Reed has his first career double-double in the loss to Wilmington

Box Score