Men's basketball clinches OAC victory in waning seconds

The Muskingum men's basketball team clinched an Ohio Athletic Conference win against Wilmington in the waning seconds of action on Saturday in the Rec Center, 78-74.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (4-11 overall, 1-7 OAC), Wilmington (2-11 overall, 1-7 QAC)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio - Muskingum Recreation Center

Game Notes

• Freshman Jarrell Marsh led a trio of Muskies in double figures with 14 points. He hit 6-of-9 shots and was 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Marsh also recorded two assists, two blocks and one steal.
• Freshman Jalen Paige added 14 points, three assists, two rebounds and one steal.
• Junior Joshua Keyes recorded a double-double with 14 rebounds and 12 points. He also notched a pair of blocks.
• Junior Malik Billingsley scored a season-high nine points and had three assists.
• Muskingum ended the game shooting .510 (26-of-51) from the field and held a 38-29 edge in rebounds.
• Christian Jones led Wilmington with 19 points.
• D.J. Iles scored 17 points for the Quakers.
• Wilmington ended the outing shooting .417 (25-of-60) from the floor.

Inside The Numbers

• The up-tempo game featured 12 lead changes and nine ties.
• The Muskingum's largest lead was seven, which happened twice in the first half. 
• Muskingum led 28-21 with 4:28 to play in the frame.
• Wilmington ended the half on a 10-5 run to trim its deficit to 33-31 at the break.
• In the second half, neither team led by more than four points.
• Marsh gave the Muskies a 73-70 lead with 57 seconds to play on an electrifying dunk.
• Wilmington tied the game on Jones' basket and subsequent free throw following a Muskie foul.
• Paige brought the Muskie fans screaming to their feet with a long range clutch three-point jumper as the clock shot expired, which gave Muskingum the lead for good at 76-73 with four seconds to play.
• Keyes nailed a pair of free throws with one second to play to seal the win and complete the scoring.

Up Next

• Muskingum next travels to Capital on Wednesday, January 20. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.