Taking the court for the first time since Dec. 10, Bates College men’s basketball concluded its holiday hiatus Thursday as the Bobcats clashed with Marietta College (Ohio) on day one of the Florida Sunshine Shootout in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Playing at the Volusia County Ocean Center, the Pioneers completed the wire-to-wire triumph, 75-53, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Marietta, victorious in five of its last six outings, improves to 7-3 with the win. In contrast, the garnet and white has dropped five of its last six contests (4-7 overall).
Closing the first half on a 15-2 run, Marietta coasted into intermission with a 38-19 surplus. The Pioneers’ lead would inflate to a game-high 31 points on a pair of occasions in the second stanza, the last occurrence coming when a Frank Waganfeald (Oregon, Ohio) jumper in the paint made the score 70-39 Marietta with 5:25 remaining in regulation.
Waganfeald paced all players with a game-high 16 points, while snaring 10 rebounds, to complete the double-double performance. The sophomore also dished five assists and collected three steals in his 19 minutes off the Pioneers’ bench. David Sanford (Jr.-Springfield, Ohio) followed with 12 points in 24 total minutes while Sahmi Willoughby (Sr.-Groveport, Ohio) cleared the glass of a game-high 12 boards in 18 minutes of action.
Steph Baxter (Sr.-Worcester, Mass.), the Bobcats leading scorer on the year, tied for the team-high with nine points in 30 total minutes. David Omasombo (Lewiston, Maine) also netted nine points for Bates, a new season-high for the first-year guard.
Cam Riley (Sr.-North Myrtle Beach, S.C.) secured seven rebounds over his 19 minutes.
The Bobcats will next take on Gettysburg College (4-5) Friday night at 7:00 p.m. to close out the two-day event.
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