MARIETTA, Ohio — Mount Union's three-point shot at the buzzer came up short as the sell-out Ban Johnson Arena crowd erupted in celebration. No. 2 ranked Marietta College earned a hard-fought 63-61 win over the eighth ranked Purple Raiders Saturday (Feb. 26) claiming back-to-back OAC Tournament Championships.

Marietta, currently on a 23-game winning streak, heads into next week's NCAA Tournament with a 25-2 overall record. The Purple Raiders are 23-4 on the season with three of their loss coming against the Pioneers. Mount Union is in good position to earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

A three-pointer from Mason Lydic (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Woodridge) gave Marietta a nine-point lead, 62-53, with 3:26 left in the game. But like a pair of heavyweight boxers going toe to toe and trading blows for 15 rounds, Christian Parker put the Purple Raiders on his back and scored the next seven points cutting the Pioneer lead to two, 62-60.

Braedon Poole converted one of two free throws to get Mount Union within a point, 62-61, with 61 seconds left on the clock. Parker blocked a three-pointer from Lukas Isaly (Clarington, Ohio/River) and Ethan Stanislawski grabbed the rebound for Mount Union.

Lydic came up with a huge steal forcing Mount Union to foul Lydic with 13 seconds remaining. Lydic hit one of two free throws giving Mount Union one last chance to win the game. With six seconds on the clock, Mount Union inbounded the ball to Stanislawski and he raced up the court and launched a three-pointer at the buzzer that came up short.

Mount Union scored the first seven points of the game and maintained a small lead throughout the entire half. Isaly drained a three-pointer to tie the game, 29-29, at halftime.

Jason Ellis (Marion, Ohio/Marion Harding) hit a triple to start the second half giving the Pioneers their first lead of the game.  The teams traded small leads in the early minutes of the second half until another three-pointer from Isaly gave Marietta the lead, 41-38, at the 16:19 mark. The Pioneers would not relinquish the lead again.

Ellis extended the Pioneer lead to seven with a three-pointer seven minutes into the period. Marietta maintained a little breathing room until Parker went on his seven-point run in the final minutes.

Isaly hit five three-pointers and led Marietta with 19 points and also pulled down eight rebounds earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Ellis was named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing with 18 points and four three-pointers. Lydic chipped in with 11 points, while Sahmi Willoughby (Groveport, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) grabbed nine rebounds.

Parker and Poole represented Mount Union on the All-Tournament Team. Parker had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Poole finished with 14 points and six boards. Chris Painter added 11 points for the Purple Raiders.

Heidelberg's Isaiah Young and Baldwin Wallace's Anthony Mazzeo rounded out the All-Tournament Team.

The NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced on Monday (March 1) at 12:30 p.m.

Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.