INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian men's basketball team washed the sour taste of Wednesday's road loss out of the mouths with a comfortable home victory on Sunday, as the Knights dominated Goshen College to the tune of a 100-51 victory. Marian's 49-point victory gives them a 14-3 overall record on the year, while improving to 4-3 in the Crossroads League.
Marian's wire-to-wire victory started strong with Hayden Langkabel draining a three on the opening possession of the game, with a Christian Harvey steal and fastbreak bucket bolstering the score one minute later. The offense continued to flow as Luke Gohmann and Taeshon Cherry made strong shots, holding the lead at 12-8 as the game reached the opening media timeout. A layup from Cherry before the timeout ignited a Knights run, as Marian pulled ahead by 20 points over the next five minutes of game time with a 20-4 spree.
Goshen could do little on defense throughout the half to slow the offense, as they struggled to score while turning the ball over in double-figures in the period. Leading 32-12 at the 10 minute mark, Marian's offense continued to excel as Brody Whitaker and Gohmann each drained a three-pointer, expanding their advantage to 27. Langkabel caught fire with back-to-back three's late in the half, with drives from Maximus Gizzi and scores from Whitaker and Cherry soaring the margin over 30. A Gavin Foe corner three in the closing seconds capped the half, putting Marian on top by a 36-point margin of 61-25 at the break.
A quick five-point outbreak from Harvey helped the Knights stay dialed in coming out of the half, while 5-2 scoring run from Cherry drove the Knights' total to 71 points. Nolan Foster vaulted to lead to 43 with a layup moments after checking in, and after the score stood frozen at 78-35, Whitaker and Cherry found their way into the scorebook again with scores from inside and out. Gohmann gave Marian their 90th point of the day with a layup off an assist from Foster, while the center closed the scoring in the contest with two free throws, completing the 49-point win by a 100-51 score.
The Knights were balanced throughout the game and made 39 field goals, picking up 21 assists to five turnovers in the win. Marian held Goshen to 37 percent from the field, and forced 21 turnovers. Cherry led all-players with a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Harvey and Langkabel each scored 15. Gohmann scored his second-highest margin of the season with 11 points, and off the bench Whitaker scored 15. Gizzi led the Knights with six assists, and Whitaker grabbed eight rebounds while leading the team with three steals.
Marian will close out a two-game home stand on Wednesday January 11, as the Knights host St. Francis at 7 p.m. in the PE Center. Marian's game will air on the ISC Sports Network Wednesday night and fans can find that game here.
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