Marian University men’s basketball (0-2, 0-0 NACC) hung tight with No. 18 Carthage but fell to the Firebirds 75-67.

  • The largest lead for either side in the opening half was only six points when Carthage held a 19-13 lead with 11:08 left in the opening half.
  • Marian responded with a 11-2 run that saw the Sabres go ahead 24-21 with 7:58 remaining until the break.
  • The Sabres held onto its lead until the 3:17 mark when Carthage took the lead and went into the half leading 38-35.
  • Marian was able to open the second half on a quick spurt of 9-5 and lead 44-43.
  • The Firebirds would hit a three-pointer on their next possession and used a 7-2 run to take the lead for good.
  • The Sabres were able to keep it a one-possession game until the final five minutes.
  • Carthage would go 8-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute to help set the final at 75-67.
  • The Sabre defense was able to force 17 Carthage turnovers and had 14 steals but allowed the Firebirds to go 24-of-48 (.500) from the field and 8-of-20 (.400) from beyond the arc.
  • Marian made 11 field goals in each half finishing 22-of-54 (.407) from the field and 10-of-28 (.357) on three-pointers.
  • The battle in the paint was fairly even with Carthage holding a slim 28-22 advantage in points, while the Sabres scored all 15 fast break points for the game.
  • Carthage improves to 6-1 in the all-time series against Marian.