Men's Basketball | 11/18/2011 9:53:00 PM

Box Score MARIETTA, Ohio - The Methodist University men's basketball team battled with No. 6 Marietta College in the first game of Marietta's Shrine Tournament, but the Pioneers came up big in the second half to knock off the Monarchs 92-69.

Methodist scored six straight points midway through the first half to lead 15-8, but Marietta came right back to cut the lead to two at 17-15 with a traditional three-point play. The Pioneers regained the lead at 20-19 with 9:30 left in the half. Methodist led once more at 22-20 on a 3-pointer from Blake Lanier, but Marietta took control late. Mark Jernigan hit a late layup in the final minute leaving Marietta with the 37-35 halftime advantage.

The Pioneers used a 10-0 run early in the second half to lead 51-38. Bryan Hockaday stopped the run with a layup and the Monarchs worked to chip away at the lead. James Whitehead drained a 3-pointer with 11:45 on the clock to help Methodist move within seven points, but Marietta used a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach. Turnovers proved costly for the Monarchs who finished with 28 compared to Marietta's seven.

Kyle Combs led the team with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Jernigan added 14 points and Whitehead scored 13 points. Hockaday also finished in double figures with 12 points.

Scott Kimmey paced Marietta with 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting from the field.

Box Score