Visiting Otterbein flies past Marietta women, 81-27
Pioneers have lowest point total against a Division III team in 33-year history

Jan. 24, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Wednesday (Jan. 24) was an evening to forget for the young Marietta College women's basketball team as it was routed by visiting Otterbein College, 81-27, on Fenton Court. [Box Score]

The loss drops Marietta's record to 2-16 overall and 0-11 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Its 27 points was the lowest total since the Pioneers fell 86-20 to Ohio University in 1979-80 and was also the least amount of points Marietta has ever scored against a Division III opponent in its 33-year history of women's basketball. Otterbein improves to 10-8 overall and 6-5 in the OAC.

The Cardinals, who entered as the fourth-highest scoring team in the nation, jumped out early when Ana Gamble nailed a three-pointer on their opening possession, and Laura Roth followed with a lay-up off a Pioneer turnover, the first of Marietta's 30 turnovers in the game.

Otterbein continued to pour it on the rest of the game, leading at intermission 43-15. It increased its advantage to 54 points by the 8:23 mark of the second frame and cruised to the 54-point victory.

Marietta finished the night 10-of-45 (.222) from the floor, including 0-of-15 from beyond the arc. The Pioneers also shot 7-of-11 (.636) from the line and pulled down 33 rebounds. Otterbein shot 35-of-69 (.507) from the field, 9-of-13 (.692) from long range and 2-of-6 (.333) from the line. The Cardinals scored 30 points off the Pioneers' 30 give-aways and finished with 40 rebounds in the win.

Roth, who scored 25 points in 24 minutes, paced Otterbein's scoring outburst. Gamble added 17 points and Janel Iden contributed 10 points for the Cardinals, who had eight other players score at least a bucket.

Junior Justine Pagenhardt (Oakland. Md./Southern Garrett) paced Marietta with nine points on just 4-of-13 shooting and committed a game-high six turnovers. Both junior Abby Hess (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) and freshman Shawntae Cline (Belpre) each added four points, while freshman Jamie Beckett (Wooster/Triway), who entered the game as the OAC's second leading rebounder, pulled down a game-high nine boards.

The trek does not get any easier for Marietta, as it plays host to No. 5 Wilmington Saturday (Jan. 27) at 3 p.m. on Fenton Court. The first-place Quakers (16-2, 10-1 OAC) will be looking to rebound from its first Conference loss of the year after they fell to Capital 77-69 on Wednesday. Wilmington defeated Marietta 80-55 in the first meeting of the year.