ALLIANCE, Ohio--The No. 3-seed Mount Union women's basketball secured a big 74-57 win at home over the No. 6-seed Marietta Pioneers in the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday evening.
 
The Purple Raiders had four players score in double figures during the game. Senior forward Mckayla Dunkle (Cadiz / Harrison Central) led the team with 15 points, shooting 6-for-10 (60%) from the field, and she also grabbed six rebounds. Junior forward Elizabeth Mason (Alliance / Marlington) recorded her third double-double of the season and her second against Marietta, scoring 12 points and collecting 10 rebounds while shooting 5-8 (62.5%) from the field.
 
The other two Purple Raiders scoring in double digits were junior guard Reese Triplett (New Philadelphia / Tuscarawas Central Catholic) and sophomore guard Lily Scott (Youngstown / Ursuline), each contributing 12 points.  
 
Marietta was led by sophomore guard Kelsey Harlan, who scored a team-high 12 points while also dishing out four assists and recording three steals. She shot 5 for 11 (45.5%) from the field in her performance. Another standout for the Pioneers was sophomore forward Amelia Uhrig, who contributed 10 points and grabbed six rebounds, shooting 4 for 9 (44.4%) from the field.
 
The first quarter was a tight contest, with Mount Union leading 17-16. In the second quarter, the Purple Raiders outscored the Pioneers 25-18, ending the half with a 42-34 lead.  
 
Mount Union began the third quarter with a 6-0 run and continued to build momentum. With 4:55 left in the quarter, they led Marietta 55-40. From that point, Mount Union went on another run, scoring 6 points to Marietta's 1, which increased their lead to 61-41 with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter. Overall, Mount Union outscored Marietta 23-12 during this period.
 
The Purple Raiders finished the game strong, securing a 74-57 victory. A big reason for the team's success was their dominance in the points in the paint battle, winning that area 40-32. Additionally, they took advantage of second-chance opportunities, winning that category 10-4.
 
Mount Union's next game will be on the road this Thursday, where they will face No. 2-seed Otterbein in the semi-finals of the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament at 8 pm in Westerville.