The Muskingum men's basketball team, playing with heavy hearts, beat Medaille at the Oberlin College Tournament on Friday evening, 88-77, and will advance to the championship game. Marcus Dempsey played spectacular as he poured out a career-high 48 points and was close to hitting the school record of 54 points, which was set in 1912-13 by Babe Arnold.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (5-5 overall), Medaille (4-6 overall)
• Location: Oberlin, Ohio – Philips Gym

Inside the Numbers  

• Dempsey erupted for 48 points, hitting 15-of-20 from the field, 7-of-8 from the arc, and 11-of-17 from the free throw line.
• Devon Peart and Brandon Keyes each chipped in 10 points, while Keyes snagged a career-high 11 rebounds and created four steals.
• Rashay Douglas grabbed five rebounds.   
• As a team, the Muskies shot .403 from the field (27-for-67), .344 from the arc (11-for-32), and .697 from the free throw line (23-for-33).
• Mike Hollenbeck who ended the contest with 25 points and seven rebounds led Medaille.
• Jalen Smith contributed 12 points with Meghale Ford collecting nine points for the Mavericks.
• Medaille made .435 of their shots (27-for-62), went 10-for-22 from the arc (.455), and went 13-of-16 from the free throw line (.813).

Game Highlights

The first 11 minutes of play consisted of traded baskets between the two schools before Medaille sparked an 11-3 run that put them ahead, 23-15, with 5:11 on the clock. The Mavericks lead, 30-22 with 1:28 left in the first half, but Muskingum closed out the frame on an 8-0 run, including back-to-back three's by Dempsey and Tyler Bardall to get within one, 30-29, at the half.

Muskingum fell behind 58-49 with 9:39 to go in the second half, but a 17-7 run by the Muskies pulled them ahead, 66-65, with five minutes remaining in the game. Muskingum continued the scoring spree by Dempsey netting the next seven straight points to increase the advantage, 73-65, with 2:28 left. Medaille got no closer than six points the rest of the way as Muskingum notched the victory. In the final five minutes, Dempsey outscored the Medaille team by accruing 16 points to their 12.

Up Next

• Muskingum returns to action Saturday, December 30 as they face Oberlin in the championship game of the Oberlin College Tournament. Game time is slated for 3:00 p.m.