John Carroll's comeback shocks upset-minded Marietta 71-66
Pioneers let second half lead slip away in final minute at Ban Johnson Arena

Jan. 10, 2009
MARIETTA, Ohio — Second-year Head Coach Jon VanderWal’s young Marietta College men’s basketball team outplayed visiting John Carroll University for 39 minutes on Saturday (Jan. 10) afternoon at Ban Johnson Arena. Unfortunately, three untimely turnovers in the 40th minute allowed the Blue Streaks to take their first lead of the second half and hold on for the 71-66 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) victory.

The Pioneers (6-7, 1-5 OAC), who hit a season-high 13 three-pointers, were clinging to a four-point lead, 66-62, as the teams approached the final 60 seconds. John Carroll (9-4, 5-2 OAC) guard Joey Meyer took advantage of a Marietta foul on his three-point attempt by hitting all three from the line to pull his team within a point, 66-65, with 1:04 left to play. The Blue Streaks’ full-court press then forced one of their 27 turnovers, and Rudy Kirbus converted it into a go-ahead layup. Another Marietta turnover led to two more free throws by Meyer. Kirbus then sealed the win with final pair from the line after a third straight Pioneer giveaway.

John Carroll led early, 11-5, after Corey Shontz nailed a three-pointer 4:48 into the game. Marietta then scored the next eight points, coming by way of a layup and three-pointer from freshman wing Trevor Halter (Malvern) and a three-point play by freshman post Kevin Knab (Lakewood), to claim a 13-11 advantage with 13:18 remaining in the period.

The lead changed four times over the next 6:54 before a baseline jumper by freshman post Connor Kilpatrick (Bowling Green) put the Pioneers on top 26-24. Kilpatrick's basket sparked a quick 8-2 run, giving Marietta a 32-26 lead as the teams entered the final three minutes of the half. John Carroll then scored the final three points of the stanza, and Marietta took a 32-29 advantage into the intermission.

Marietta quickly extended its lead to eight points, 40-32, after an 8-3 run to open the first three minutes of the second half. A three-pointer from senior wing Isaiah Creasap (Wooster/Northwestern) pushed the lead to 10 points with 13:06 left on the clock. Marietta maintained a five to nine-point lead until Kirbus connected on a shot from long range to pull John Carroll with three points, 63-60, with 4:02 to play. Creasap, however, answered with another three-point to boost the advantage back up to six points. A jumper by Meyer in the paint cut the deficit to four points, 66-62, setting the stage for what transpired in the final minute.

Halter, who connected on 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, finished with a team-high 20 points, 14 of which came in the first half. He also had a team-best five boards. Marietta also received double-figure scoring from Creasap, who added 11 points after missing the last three games with a knee injury. Creasap has now scored 986 points in his career. Freshan wing Rydell Chrisman (Coshocton) added nine points, all from behind the three-point line.

Kirbus matched Halter with a 20-point effort. Meyer added 12 points, while Shontz finished with 11 for John Carroll, who finished the day 20-of-52 (.385) from the floor, 7-of-18 (.389) from three-point range and 24-of-32 (.750) from the free throw line.  The Blue Streaks, who overcame 18 turnovers, out-rebounded the Pioneers 34-31. Marietta ended the game 23-of-48 (.479) from the field, 13-of-29 (.448) from deep and 7-of-11 (.636) from the line.

Senior Isaiah Creasap had 11 points in his return to the lineup on Saturday and now has 986 in his career.

Box Score