No. 5 Marian Upends No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan 73-54 to Claim Crossroads League Lead

Marion, Ind. - In a game where the fifth-ranked Marian women's basketball team showed poise and control throughout, the Knights completed a 73-54 upset over second-ranked Indiana Wesleyan with a dominant fourth quarter effort Saturday afternoon in Luckey Arena. Marian's win gives them control of the Crossroads League lead, as the Knights move to 9-0 in league play and 18-1 overall.

Marian got off to a hot start from the floor, going inside with layups from Allison Bosse and Sara Majorosova to capture an early 4-0 lead. The Wildcats would catch Marian as the game went back and forth, as the score slowly pushed to a tied contest before five minutes had elapsed. Indiana Wesleyan would take their first lead at 13-12 with 4:36 to play in the game, and led by as many as three, but a jumper from Kinnidy Garrard ended their momentum and sprung the Knights back in gear. The basket from Garrard ignited a 7-0 run to end the first quarter, as Ella Collier drained a three in the waning seconds of the period to give Marian a 19-15 lead after one quarter.

Aliyah Evans inserted her skills into the game in the second quarter, scoring Marian's first five points of the quarter to keep them in the lead through the first three minutes. After a scoreless lull of 90 seconds where Marian led 24-23, the Wildcats broke through and claimed a narrow 25-24 advantage, but the lead would evaporate quickly as Josie Trabel answered with a three. The freshman's score helped drive Marian in the lead for the remainder of the half, with Jayla Wehner and Ella Collier pushing the difference to eight as the clock rolled under one minute before halftime. Garrard scored the final points of the half with a layup in the final 20 seconds, closing the half on a high note with Marian leading 36-28.

Indiana Wesleyan would respond to their halftime deficit and had a strong third quarter, as they would slowly close the gap in the score. Before the Wildcats found a rhythm, Abbey McNally and Ella Collier shouldered the scoring and pushed the Knights into a 10-point lead, which Marian would continue to hold after an Aliyah Evans bucket with 5:38 to play in the period. After Evans score, the Wildcats found their offense, slashing the score to six within one minute of the senior's basket. Tamia Perryman would help vault the lead back to nine, but a 5-0 run in the final minute allowed Indiana Wesleyan back into the game, as they made the score 51-47 heading to the final stanza.

Perryman halted the home team's momentum in the beginning of the fourth quarter with a three-pointer following a Wildcat turnover, as she scored the team's first eight points of the period to drive Marian back on top by double digits. The redshirt-junior's spark kept Marian on top, as she and her teammates played intense defense to silence the home crowd. Evans and Garrard scored back to back baskets off turnovers, and with 6:16 to play Marian found their lead at 15 points with the scoreboard showing 63-48. 

Marian continued to play a tenacious defense as they forced Indiana Wesleyan into turnovers and missed shots, holding their double figure lead for the remainder of the game. With 4:58 to play Indiana Wesleyan attempted to string a comeback together with a basket and stop, but were unable to do so as the Knights allowed just one field goal in the last four minutes of play, icing away the game with baskets from three different seniors as Marian closed their upset victory on top 73-54.

The Knights fourth quarter defense aided their victory, as Marian limited Indiana Wesleyan to a field goal percentage of 15, while forcing four turnovers as they outscored them 22-7. Perryman led the Knights in scoring as she poured in 15 off the bench, while Aliyah Evans scored 13 off the bench. Collier finished with 14 and Garrard had 12 points to go with six rebounds in the win. Allison Bosse led the Knights with four of their 15 assists.

Marian will be off on Wednesday as they hit the midway point of the Crossroads League season, beginning the second half on the road on January 27, traveling to Grace College for a 1:00 p.m. start.