Marian University men’s basketball (14-8, 10-7 NACC) rallied after a tough first half defensively but fell to Rockford 83-82.

A seesaw battle to start saw Marian take an early 18-15 lead to open.  Rockford was then able to go on a 17-4 run to take the first sizeable lead of the game at 32-22 drawing a Marian timeout.  The break proved to be a momentum shifter as the Sabres scored 12 consecutive points to retake the lead at 34-32 forcing Rockford to use a timeout.  The conclusion of the first half went back-and-forth again with the Regents going on a quick 14-5 spurt to end the half and take a 50-44 lead into the break.

Rockford would shoot 10-of-15 (.667) from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.

The defenses were able to pick it up in the second half but Marian was able to open the stanza with a 14-6 run to take a 60-56 advantage with 12:13 left.  A couple of lead changes continued in a tight game but Marian still found themselves with a 79-75 lead with 1:33 left to play.  Rockford once again had a strong finish, however, closing out the game with an 8-3 run to earn the 83-82 win.

Marian finished the game with 13 made three-pointers giving the Sabres 222 on the season to set the single-season program record for triples.  Junior Tyler Gouin and senior David Britton each finished with 16 points, while sophomore Delvin Barnstable chipped in 14 points with eight boards, four assists, and three steals.

Marian closes out the regular season Wednesday, Feb. 16 traveling to Lakeland for a 7 p.m. tip.