Marian University women’s basketball (2-5, 0-1 NACC) could hold off Rockford in the second half falling to the Regents 62-56 in the first game of NACC play.
Marian had a strong start especially on the defensive end forcing 16 turnovers in the first half of action. The Sabres led through the entire first half building a seven-point lead after the first quarter of action. Marian built their lead to as large as 12 at 26-14 with 4:45 left in the second quarter. Rockford was able to battle back in the final minutes of the first half, however, cutting their deficit down to 28-22.
The Rockford defense then stepped up to open the third quarter as the Regents were able to go on a 16-2 run to open the second half and go ahead 38-30. Marian rallied after a timeout with seven unanswered points, but Rockford would still hold a 40-37 lead going into the final quarter. The fourth stanza opened with Rockford scoring nine unanswered points to build a 49-37 lead with 7:09 left to play, their largest lead of the game. The Sabres managed to cut their deficit down to as little as four at 53-49 with 2:06 remaining, but Rockford would hold off the momentum and hold on for a 62-56 win.
Junior Claire Levendoski led the way for the Sabres with a team-high 14 points with freshman Brianna Martin adding 13 points and fellow freshman Hope Burns chipping in 12. Junior Madison Holdiman had six rebounds to go with a pair of assists and three steals.
Marian plays their first road game in NACC play Saturday, Dec. 4 traveling to Benedictine for a 2 p.m. tip.
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