Marian University men’s’ basketball (3-16, 2-12 NACC) trailed by just six in the second half but a late push from Benedictine gave the Eagles an 81-64 NACC win.
The Eagles were able to jump out to a fast start opening the game with a 17-4 lead forcing a Marian timeout. Benedictine would lead by as much as 16 in the half but a 6-0 spurt late in the half put the Sabres down 33-26 with 2:39 before the break. Benedictine scored five unanswered to close out the half with a 38-26 lead.
Marian bounced back opening the second half with an 8-2 run to cut the deficit down to 40-34 and force an Eagle timeout with 17:57 left in the game. A 15-3 Benedictine run followed the timeout as the Eagles expanded their lead out to 55-37. This advantage held for the remainder of the half leading to the 81-64 final.
Senior Trentin Fouse went 5-6 (.833) from beyond the arc on his way to a team-high 17 points, while freshman Luke Bufton added 10 points off the bench.
Marian remains at home to host Rockford Tuesday, Feb. 4 for a 7 p.m. tip.
–FightBlueFight—
