Marian University men’s basketball (3-4, 0-3 NACC) scored 42 points in the second half but a tough first half led to a 76-57 loss at home to St. Norbert.
The opening half was a defensive battle to start as both teams combined for only eight points in the first 8:03 of action. The Sabres would use an 11-6 run capped by a three-pointer from senior DeAndre Ross to trail by just three at 14-11 with 9:05 left in the first half. The Green Knights then dominated the remainder of the stanza going on a 19-4 run to take a 33-15 lead into the half. Marian would only make a pair of triples in the half and turned the ball over 14 times.
Marian would have a much better second half shooting 43.3-percent from the field including 9-18 (.500) shooting from beyond the arc. The first-half deficit proved to be too much to overcome, however, as the Sabres could only keep pace with the Green Knights in the final 20 minutes.
Senior David Britton and junior Tyler Gouin each had a team-high 14 points to lead the Marian offense with Britton scoring 12 of his points in the second half. Senior Kivontay Shaw and sophomore Ben Basten each had a pair of blocks on the defensive end, while junior Jarrett Henderson recorded four offensive rebounds.
Marian remains at home to host Concordia Chicago Saturday, Dec. 11 for a 4:15 p.m. tip.
