Box Score

Las Vegas, Nev. – The Transylvania men's basketball team was defeated by the No. 8 Marietta College Pioneers, 87-74 on Wednesday evening at South Point Resort Arena at the 2021 D3Hoops.com Classic.

Brandon Cromwell fielded his second straight game leading the Pioneers in scoring with a 16-point output to go with a team-high seven rebounds but the top-10 ranked Marietta Pioneers opened up a double-digit lead in the first eight minutes of the Great Lakes Region matchup in Las Vegas to collect a wire-to-wire win.

Marietta improved to 8-2 on the season while Transylvania fell to 6-4 in the all-Pioneer showdown on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Marietta's lead grew to as much as 14 in the first half before the Pioneers strung together cohesive possessions over the final five minutes of the period. Transy embarked on a 13-2 run to whittle Marietta's advantage to 34-30 with 1:56 left in the half. Marietta regained footing but Cromwell nailed a pull-up jumper just before the half to manage Transylvania's deficit to 40-34 at halftime.

Marietta enjoyed another strong burst to start the second half, forging a 71-43 advantage with 10:37 left in regulation. Marietta shot 48 percent from the field for the game, connecting on 25 of 35 free throws while the Pioneers shot 45 percent from the field, hitting 17 of 27 free throws.

Colby Napier matched Cromwell with 16 points on 4 for 8 shooting from beyond the arc while Hunter Penn added 10 points and six rebounds, and all three of Transylvania's blocks on the evening.

The Pioneers next play on Sunday, January 2, 2022 at the Manchester University Spartans in North Manchester, Indiana to resume Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play. Tip-off between the Pioneers and Spartans is set for 3:00 p.m. from Stauffer-Wolfe Arena on the campus of Manchester to follow a women's matchup between the two teams in a Sunday HCAC doubleheader.

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