INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian men's basketball team began their 2023-24 season with a home victory Saturday afternoon, defeating IU-Southeast 90-76. The game teetered back and forth at the end of the first half, and in the second half Marian pulled away behind Brody Whitaker as the Knights begin the season 1-0.

The Knights started the game out strong, getting contributions from newcomer Gus Etchison and Maximus Gizzi in the first four minutes to build a 12-4 lead by the first media timeout. The Grenadiers were able to chip away at their early deficit in the next four minutes of play, but a quick 8-0 run fueled by the backcourt tandem of Etchison and Brody Whitaker helped Marian carry a 22-10 lead. 

The 12-point advantage with 11:57 to play in the first half would be Marian's largest of the half, as IU-Southeast slowly whittled away at the Knights' lead. Led by Jocobi Hendricks and company, IU-Southeast was able to inch within six points with 7:30 remaining in the opening half of the season, while an extended run gave the visitors their first lead of the afternoon at the 4:09 mark. The Grenadiers took advantage of a Marian cold streak, but the Knights began to warm back up with Nolan Foster and Dylan Moles quieting the storm. The game rocked back and forth as it reached halftime, and in the final 69 seconds Marian out-scored IU-Southeast 5-0 to take a 46-42 lead to the break.

Marian dialed back in after halftime and pushed their lead quickly to double figures once more, as Whitaker and Etchison knocked down open three-point shots. The lead would build to 14 just outside of the media timeout, but the Grenadiers responded with an 8-0 run to keep within striking distance. Marian failed to push their lead back to double figures after the run, and the game stayed within a two possession game until the 10 minute mark, as a three-point play from Whitaker pushed the lead to eight. 

Whitaker got in a rhythm after the old-fashioned three, scoring nine consecutive Marian points to reclaim a double-digit lead. A three from Josh Bryan put the game out of reach with under seven minutes remaining, as the senior's bucket gave Marian a 79-64 edge. The lead would stay in double figures for the remainder of the match, as Whitaker and Etchison put the finishing touches on the lead, with a Jackson Ames dunk emphatically scoring the final home points of the game in the 90-76 win. 

Brody Whitaker led all players and scored a career-high 33 points in the win, going 11-21 from the field while also grabbing eight rebounds and a blocked shot. Etchison finished with 25 points in his Marian debut, adding a team-high six assists to his stat-line. Gavin Foe posted the first double-double of the year for Marian, grabbing 10 rebounds in addition to his 11 points. 

As a team the Knights shot 48.5 percent from the field and made 11 three-point attempts, additionally scoring 38 points in the paint. 

Marian will play their final exhibition matchup of the season on Friday November 3, as the Knights travel to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers at 6:30 p.m.



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