TIFFIN, Ohio - Following a one-point loss at Hiram on Wednesday, Heidelberg University women's basketball head coach Marcie Alberts wanted to see how her team would react. Alberts liked the result.
Four Student Princes hit double figures as Heidelberg defeated Marietta College 75-61 on Saturday. The win snapped a four-game losing skid for The Berg.
"Hopefully that loss to Hiram woke us up," said Alberts. "It was a great win, especially to get one in the conference to get us rolling."
Heidelberg (4-4, 1-2 OAC) opened the game on a 12-2 run, highlighted by two 3-pointers from sophomore Paige Ricketts (Mineral City/Tusky Valley). Ricketts finished with 14 points and five steals.
The Pioneers, coached by former 'Berg assistant Stacia Shrider, answered with a 19-7 run to erase Heidelberg's lead midway through the first half.
Junior Kathleen Phillips (Sandusky/St. Mary) led the Student Princes on another 12-2 run, nailing two 3-pointers. Phillips scored 25 points, and has averaged 23.75 points per game against the Pioneers in her career.
Heidelberg held a 40-31 lead at halftime.
After Marietta (4-5, 1-4 OAC) cut the lead to four, Phillips hit another 3-pointer. Heidelberg never looked back, controlling the tempo and creating turnovers.
Senior Jordan Ickes (Wooster/Triway) finished with 15 points, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the line. As a team, Heidelberg shot 77.8% at the stripe.
Off the bench, Kyra Dorney (Fairborn/Greenon) scored 10 points and had nine rebounds.
"Kyra was phenomenal," said Alberts. "She's our energy off the bench, and we've missed that over the past few games. Any time she can give us 10, we're in a good position to win."
Heather Booth led the way for Marietta, recording a double-double. She had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Heidelberg had a number of open jumpers created by the aggressiveness of its guards.
"Today was the best that we've done, where we would penetrate and kick, then make that one extra pass," said Alberts. "We haven't done that. It opened up a lot of 15-footers, which is a great shot for us."
The game against Marietta was the first of four games in one week for Heidelberg. They go on the road Monday to face John Carroll, then to Westminster on Wednesday. Their next home game is Saturday against Wilmington.