Ohio Northern ends Marietta's season with 62-52 win in OAC Quarterfinals
Head Coach Jon VanderWal's Pioneers post most wins in seven years

Feb. 25, 2009
ADA, Ohio — A 12-0 run midway through the second half propelled host and #3 Ohio Northern University to a 62-52 victory over #6 Marietta College Wednesday (Feb. 25) night in the Quarterfinals of the 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Men's Basketball Tournament.

With the loss, second-year Head Coach Jon VanderWal’s squad finished the year 12-14 overall. The Pioneers posted the most wins since the 2001-02 team went 13-13. VanderWal also led Marietta to its first OAC Tournament appearance since the league changed to the eight-team format in 2003-04. Ohio Northern (18-8) advances to take on #2 seed Capital University in the OAC Semifinals on Friday (Feb. 27) at John Carroll University.

A jumper by Kyle Meyer started the scoring on Ohio Northern’s first possession. Marietta’s Isaiah Creasap (Wooster/Northwestern) quickly answered with a three-pointer to give the Pioneers a 3-2 advantage. The Polar Bears scored the next six points to build a 9-3 lead four minutes into the first half. A basket by Trevor Halter (Malvern) and then three straight by Kevin Knab (Lakewood) helped Marietta pull back within three points, 12-9, and then another three-pointer by Creasap tied the game at 12-12.

Marietta regained the lead 14-12 after a Creasap jumper with 12:08 remaining on the first half clock. The teams then traded baskets for the next six and one-half minutes, allowing ONU to take a slim, 24-22 lead following a free throw from Meyer with 5:31 to go in the period. The Pioneers scored the next six points, capped by a breakaway dunk by Daun Lutes (New Matamoras/Frontier), before the Polar Bears scored the final basket of the half. Marietta entered the locker room on top 30-28.

Neither team could grab the momentum during the opening minutes of the second half. The lead was not more than two points either way through the first 10 minutes of the stanza. Ohio Northern used a 12-0 run midway through the period to take a 50-42 advantage with 7:29. Creasap finally broke the Pioneers’ 5:31 cold streak with a jumper. Knab then added 1-of-2 from the line to cut the deficit back to seven points, 52-45.

The Polar Bears extended their lead up to 11 points, 55-45, with 5:05 to play and then 12 points, 62-50, with 1:17 remaining in the contest. Halter hit a jumper in the final minute to make the score 62-52, but that is where it ended as Ohio Northern held on for the victory.

Creasap, in his final game with Marietta, paced the team with 16 points to finish his career ranked 20th all-time with 1,105 points. Knab and Halter both added 11 points in the game. Knab also contributed a game-high seven boards.

Meyer led all scorers with 22 points, hitting 10-of-15 from the floor, to go along with seven rebounds. No other Polar Bear reached double figures.

Marietta finished the game shooting 42.3% (22-of-52) from the field but just 26.3% (5-of-19) from beyond the arc. Ohio Northern went 26-of-47 (55.3%) from the floor and hit 3-of-8 (.375) from long range. The Polar Bears out-rebounded the Pioneers 30-29 and both teams had 16 turnovers.

Senior Isaiah Creasap had 16 points in Wednesday's game at Ohio Northern.

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