Feb. 1, 2007

Women’s Basketball team looking for OAC victory
Mattie Unger
ungerm@marietta.edu

Now in the midst of the second half of their season, the Lady Pioneers continue to struggle and earn an OAC victory. The hustle is present during games, but the end product doesn’t show it.

Since the Pios opened their 2006-07 season, they’ve only been able to capture two victories; both were non-conference games. The second of their wins took place at the Addidas D-III Shootout, a tournament held in Las Vegas.

On the second day of the tournament, MC faced SUNY-IT. Despite a slow start, the Pioneers battled back to take the game 57-50. A strong showing from multiple players gave Marietta the edge to overcome SUNY-IT.

Junior guard Justine Pagenhardt earned her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Freshmen Jamie Beckett and Jen Wolfe both contributed 12 points as well.

The win and energy of Las Vegas restored the Lady Pios confidence and rekindled their enthusiasm. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough to bring in another win.

They’ve faced tough conference teams including No. 8 Wilmington.
But as their season closes out over the next few weeks, Marietta is looking to improve their record. With four of their last six games as home, the Pios feel having a home court advantage will give them the extra edge they need. “It’s important to have a home crowd,” said senior Katie Chadwell. “Now that students are back on campus, we hope to have a strong showing from our fans.”

Students will have their next chance to show their support for the women’s basketball program this Saturday at 3 p.m. Saturday’s game against Heidelberg will also be their Blue Alert game.