ALLIANCE, Ohio -- The no. 4 nationally ranked Mount Union men's basketball team won an Ohio Athletic Conference matchup 92-71 against Marietta on Wednesday night.
The Purple Raiders (17-2, 8-2 OAC), led by senior guard Dante Collier (Columbus / Licking Heights), who scored a career-high 26 points, knocking down a career-high eight three pointers. Junior guard Kevin Hamilton (Akron / St. Vincent St. Mary) had a dynamic playmaking performance with a career-high 12 assists, as he notched a double-double, also scoring 10 points. Sophomore Chance Casenhiser (Uniontown / Lake) added 18 points and junior Elijah Farrington (Massillon / Massillon Washington) scored 12.
The Pioneers (8-11, 3-7 OAC) were led by sophomore guard Jai Guerra-Howard, who scored a team-high 20 points and also dished out four assists.
Marietta started strong, jumping to a 10-7 lead with 15:48 remaining in the first half. However, Mount Union quickly responded, taking a 14-11 lead with 11:50 left in the half. The Purple Raiders picked up the pace on offense as Collier hit three consecutive three-pointers from the corner, extending their lead to 25-15 with 9:36 remaining. Sophomore guard Jarrett Taylor (Uniontown / Green) displayed his defensive prowess by recording three crucial blocks in the first half. The Purple Raiders maintained their momentum, going on a 24-15 run before halftime, which increased their lead to 49-30. Collier capped off the half by making his fifth three-pointer.
Mount Union picked up right where they left off to begin the second half, getting themselves out on an 8-0 run to start the half and increased their 57-30 lead with 17:24 remaining in the second half. With 13:59 remaining in the half, the lead for the Purple Raiders extended to 63-35. Casenhiser knocked down back-to-back buckets for Mount Union to extend the lead to 70-37 with 11:19 remaining in the half. The Purple Raiders controlled the tempo and secured the 92-71 victory to notch their 17th win of the season.
The Purple Raiders will travel to Westerville, Ohio, to face no. 21 nationally ranked Otterbein in an OAC matchup on Saturday, January 31st, at 1:00 PM.
