Knab scores a career-high 26 points in Marietta's 61-53 loss to visiting Wilmington
Pioneers visit #5 Capital on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Jan. 31, 2009
MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College freshman post Kevin Knab (Lakewood) scored a career-high 26 points, but the Pioneers could not overcome 26 turnovers in a 61-53 loss to visiting Wilmington College on Saturday (Jan. 31) at Ban Johnson Arena.

Knab connected on 9-of-14 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line while adding eight rebounds on the day for the Pioneers, who fell to 10-9 overall and 5-7 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Wilmington improved to 13-6 overall and 9-3 in the OAC, one game behind first place Capital University and John Carroll University.

Wilmington ran a full court press against Marietta from start to finish. The Pioneers led early, starting off on a 6-0 run over the first 3:50 of the game. The Quakers responded with an 8-0 run to take their first lead, 8-6, with 15:01 remaining on the opening half. Wilmington led by seven points, 30-23, with 2:00 left before intermission. The Pioneers cut into the deficit and headed into the locker room down three points, 30-27.

The Quakers' pressure started to take its toll in the second half, as the Pioneers committed 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the period. Marietta managed to score only six points in the first 10:32 of the second half. Wilmington took full advantage, stretching its lead to 13 points, 46-33, with 9:28 to play in the game. Two three-pointers from freshman Trevor Halter (Malvern) cut the Quakers' lead to seven points, 48-41, with 7:12 to play. Knab then scored eight of his game-high 26 points over the next 4:30 to pull his squad within three points, 52-49, with 2:49 left on the clock. Wilmington, however, was able to convert down the stretch and hang on to win by eight points, 61-53.

Halter, Marietta's leading scorer, was limited to just 10 points in the loss. Freshman Connor Kilpatrick (Bowling Green), who scored four points, led the Pioneers with nine rebounds on the day.

Brandon Rogers led the Quakers with 16 points and eight rebounds. R.J. Brown chipped in with 10 points and six boards, while Tyler Ledford dished out a game-high seven assists in the victory.

Marietta entered the game on fire offensively, hitting 52.5% of its shots from the floor in winning four of the last five games. The Pioneers shot just 36.4% (16-of-44) against the Quakers, including 25.0% (3-of-12) from three-point range. Marietta did knock down 18-of-19 (94.7%) from the line. Wilmington, meanwhile, hit 25-of-64 (39.1%) from the field, 2-of-11 (18.2%) from three-point range and 9-of-14 (64.3%) from the free throw line. The Pioneers held the edge in rebounding, 42-28, but allowed the Quakers to turn their 26 turnovers into 30 points. Marietta scored 11 points off WIlmington's 10 turnovers.

The Pioneers will look to bounce back against #5 Capital University on Wednesday (Feb. 4) night in Columbus. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. The Crusaders won the first match-up of the year, holding off the Pioneers 84-75 on Jan. 21.

Kevin Knab had a career-high 26 points in the loss to Wilmington.

Box Score