Bruns nets 19 points, Men's Basketball drops 91-64 decision at #8 Marietta
By Scott Beaton
MARIETTA — Senior All-American Ryan Bruns (Chickasaw/Marion Local) scored 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and added three blocked shots to lead the Ohio Northern men's basketball team in a 91-64 loss at #8 Marietta on Saturday afternoon inside Ban Johnson Fieldhouse.
ONU (4-17 overall, 0-14 Ohio Athletic Conference) also received 14 points and seven rebounds from senior Daniel Donner (Bellville/Northmor).
Junior Caleb Bryan (Pittsburg, Pa./Montour) chipped in nine points and four rebounds, while freshman Daniel Unruh (Elida) scored seven points, hauled in four rebounds, and notched three steals for the Polar Bears.
Northern out-rebounded the hosts 41-40, but turned the ball over 21 times, compared to 14 turnovers for Marietta.
MC (18-3 overall, 12-2 OAC) was led by Jason Ellis, who scored 17 points.
The Pioneers opened the game with a 13-2 run after six and a half minutes of action before stretching its advantage to 37-19 at the 4:03 mark.
Senior Sean Grady (Willowick/Eastlake North) then nailed a three-pointer, but MC closed the half on a 12-4 run, making the score 49-26 at the break.
The Polar Bears played improved defense in the second half, holding the Pioneers to 41% shooting, but MC built a 74-37 lead with 10:19 remaining.
ONU out-scored MC 27-17 the rest of the way as Bruns recorded an alley-oop dunk off an assist from sophomore Colton Bachman (Piqua), and sophomore Ryan McClurg (Troy) closed the scoring with a three-pointer on a pass from classmate Thomas Phillips (Kenton).
Northern was 23-for-59 (39.0%) from the field and 3-for-12 (25.0%) from three-point territory. Meanwhile, Marietta was 34-for-72 (47.2%) overall and 12-for-35 (34.3%) from three-point range.
Ohio Northern will return to action on Wednesday as it hosts Otterbein at 7 p.m. inside the ONU Sports Center.