MARIETTA, OHIO -- Brian Hennessey hit the go-ahead layup with 2.1 seconds left and the Griffins held off a last chance as the Griffins upset the host Marietta College, 86-85, Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Griffins (22-6) move on to play Oswego State, who needed overtime to outlast Delware Valley, 88-78, in the evening's first game, tomorrow at 7 p.m. with a berth to the Sweet 16 at stake.

The sixth-ranked (d3hoops.com) Marietta held a nine-point lead with 3:41 left but GMercyU would score the next 10 points to knock off the Pioneers.

Darnell Artis and Julian Hyden each had 23 points. Artis would grab a career-high 10 rebounds and add seven assists, nearly hitting a triple-double, while Hyden hit a very special milestone early in the first half. Entering the game with 996 points, Hyden would step to the free throw line and hit both at the 13:27 mark to reach 1,000 career points.

Gwynedd was hot from downtown early on, hitting their first 3-of-4 shots from downtown. Triples from Artis, Hyden, and Hennessey put GM out to a 9-4 lead. The Pioneers would answer with five-straight points from A.J. Edwards to knot things up at the first media timeout.

Marietta was not as hot from behind the arc, missing their first seven tries. Nate Walker would hit from deep to push the Pioneers ahead, 18-17, at the second media timeout of the half. The deficit would stretch to 23-19 and later a three from Jeff Ireland, their third in a row, would put the Griffins in a 26-19 hole with under eight in the stanza.

Gwynedd would answer with an 8-0 run capped by two Cedric Elleby free throws to put GM ahead 27-26 at the 6:34 mark. Marietta countered the spurt with a run of their own to put them back up, 32-27. Another Griffin run would help them take a 33-32 lead but A.J. Wallace would draw an and-one, as his three-point play to turn tide. The Pioneers would take a 45-38 lead at the half.

Despite just shooting 29% in the first half and missing their last eight three-point attempts, Gwynedd would go 13-of-14 at the free throw line to stay in the thick of it.

Brennan McKee's trey stretched the Marietta lead to 58-47 with 16:43 remaining, but in a game of swings, the Griffins would match blow-for-blow. Elleby's and-one off a tough putback in the paint would pull the team within four (62-58) and later a three-ball from the corner from senior Aaron Morgan got it to 64-61with just over 13 minutes. Artis gave Gwynedd a brief lead as he hit on a stepback three from the top of the arc (67-66) with 12:13 left.

Marietta would use a 10-0 run to take a 76-67 lead, forcing Gwynedd to take a timeout with 7:46 left, as the Griffins went without a bucket in over four minutes.

Edwards would putback a miss and get fouled. His and-one with 4:52 left, would put GMercyU down, 83-72. Now down 85-76 with 3:41 left, the Griffins would start their comeback. Hyden's driving layup pulled GM to 85-82 with 2:04 left. On the very next possession, Artis would pickpocket a steal at midcourt and lay it in to pull within one (85-84).

The Pioneers had two chances to add to their lead under the final minute, but could not get their shots to fall. Edward's short jumper rimmed out to the hands of Elleby with less than 10 seconds to play who gave it to Artis. Artis would thread a long bounce pass to a streaking Hennessey whose layup seemingly took forever to fall through the rim and the lead.

Marietta's last chance was an homerun pass from the end line with 2.1 seconds, but the ball was knocked around and grabbed by Hyden who was fouled with 0.8 seconds. Still in the bonus, he would have to make the first to get to the second. But his first try was no good and the Pioneers did not get a shot off before the buzzer, sending the Griffins to the second round.

Edwards would lead Marietta (25-4) with 26 points and 13 rebounds. McKean added 12 and Luis Garcia chipped in 13.

Both teams would hit 10 three-pointers each, but Gwynedd would hit seven of their 10 in the second half. The team would rebound to shoot 50% (18-of-36) in the last 20 minutes.

Elleby and Hyden were one rebound shy of a double double. Elleby finished the game with 15 points while Morgan chipped in eight and Hennessey scored eight. Artis