INDIANAPOLIS - The No. 6 Marian women's basketball team kicked off league play Saturday afternoon with a 62-45 win over Grace at the PE Center. With this victory, the Knights move to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in Crossroads League action.

Marian got off to a hot start as they jumped out to the 8-0 lead, half of which were fast break points. Grace found their first points of the game with a three-pointer after regrouping from a 30-second timeout. Although it was the Knights racing out to the quick eight-point lead, Grace came back on the attack with a 9-2 run to even the score at 12-12 with 2:42 left to go in the first quarter. Josie Trabel and Ella Collier teamed up to help propel a 9-0 run that was capped off with a Collier bucket with three ticks remaining, giving Marian the 21-12 advantage after quarter one. 

The Lancers grabbed the momentum to begin the second quarter, scoring the first seven points until Kinnidy Garrard ended the Marian scoring drought with a shot in the paint to move back ahead 23-19. With 2:10 remaining, Olivia Faust canned the triple to give her team a spark as Taylor Double knocked down a pair of freebies, and the Knights carried the 28-21 lead into the break. 

The two teams traded points throughout the third quarter until Grace made a 10-0 run up until the 3:40 mark. Two free throws by Collier ended the run, before Faust and Aliyah Evans each added two points to go back up by three at 38-35. The Lancers had the last say of the quarter as they drained the deep ball to trail Marian 38-37 heading into the final quarter of play. 

Marian was firing on all cylinders in the fourth quarter, dominating on the both the offensive and defensive end. After a slow second and third quarter, the Knights kicked it in gear in the fourth as Faust scored the three-pointer to spark an 11-0 spurt. Evans started to find her grove during the run, scoring six straight points for the Marian. Grace continued their fight as they knocked down a jumper to cut the lead back down to single digits at 49-41. The Knights stayed poised as a layup by Abbey McNally and later the and-one play by Garrard put the Knights on top by 15 with 1:24 to play. The Lancers tried to find an answer, but Evans and Collier hit the late free throws as time ran out, and Marian would go on to win 62-45.

Collier had a game-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Garrard and Evans also scored in double digits for the Knights, with 11 and 10 respectively. Garrard also pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds for her second double double of the season. Faust added a spark of the bench, scoring eight points, while Jayla Wehner led in the assist category with four. 

Marian continues Crossroads League play on Tuesday, November 21 as they travel to Spring Arbor for a 1 p.m. contest. 

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