INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 7 Marian women's basketball team took down Concordia (Mich.) in their home opener, 67-46 to open up the season 2-0.
The Knights got off to a strong start in their home opener, jumping out to an early 12-0 lead that got started with Allison Bosse completing the three-point play 46 seconds into the game. Concordia finally hit a basket and free throw on an and-one to end their scoring drought with 5:38 remaining in the quarter. Ella Collier and Kenna Kirby responded with a quick layup and a free throw to increase their lead 15-3. The visitors continued to struggle offensively in the quarter, only managing seven points and shooting 24 percent from the floor, while Marian shot 50 percent from both the field and three to help them have the 18-7 advantage after quarter one.
It was Concordia coming out with the three-point basket to start the second quarter, but Collier answered back with a three of her own to give Marian the 11-point lead. The Cardinals would come back and hit a couple layups, but it was Aliyah Evans knocking down a jumper to spark an offensive surge from the Knights, as Collier and Alexa McKinley both hit a layup. The rest of the quarter seemed to be the Evans show as she went on to score the team's last nine points to give her team their largest lead of the game at 39-18 going into halftime.
Marian continued to build onto their lead in the second half, seeing a 27-point lead after an 11-5 run. Concordia would end the run with back-to-back threes and a free throw to cut the lead down to 20, but a jumper by McKinley and a three ball from Bosse put the Knights back up 22 with 59 seconds remaining in the quarter. A defensive rebound and a free throw by Abbey McNally gave Marian the 57-34 lead as the game moved to the final quarter.
The final quarter of play saw Concordia outscore Marian 12-10, with the visitors hitting a three to get things going, but McNally responded by having the next four points. The Cardinals came back down the floor with a couple baskets of their own, but it was Collier and Sara Majorosova closing out the game, with each hitting a pair of free throws, and Collier solidifying the win with a layup with 42 seconds remaining to help the Knights close out the 67-46 win.
In the win, Marian was led by Collier who had a game-high 18 points to go along with four rebounds and four steals. Bosse finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two steals, while McNally and Evans rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12 and 11. Kirby had a team-high five rebounds and McKinley finished the game with five points.
Marian will be in Milwaukee, Wis. this weekend to compete in the Catholic Classic, as they take on St. Francis (Ill.) on Friday at 8:30 PM.
MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.
