Upland, Ind. - After shaking off a slow start in the opening minutes, the Marian men's basketball team flipped the switch and earned a one-sided road victory at Taylor Saturday afternoon, winning by a final score of 96-67. The win is Marian's first Crossroads League win of the season, as they improve to 7-2 overall on the season.

Taylor made things difficult early for Marian, as the home team started the game on fire from the field making six of their first 10 shots, putting up 18 points in the first five minutes of the contest. The Knights played from behind for much of the opening five minutes, but were able to string together makes as Brody Whitaker got on the offense rolling. Made three-pointers from Ben Henderson and Josh Bryan allowed Marian to take a 19-18 lead with the clock rolling toward 14 minutes to play in the first half, and after a quick Taylor score Gus Etchison put Marian in front for good.

Etchison's layup and a pair of free throws capitalized a 4-0 run to put Marian up 23-20 after the under-15 media timeout, and after the timeout the Knights made their sprint, vaulting in front by double-digits within 90 seconds of the break in the action. Dylan Moles, Whitaker, and Henderson fueled the run, and after capturing the four-possession lead Marian never looked back, leading by 10-plus points for the final 10 minutes of the half. Josh Bryan played a key role with a five-point personal run, while Ben Henderson's third trifecta of the half gave Marian their largest lead with a 19-point advantage. Maximus Gizz scored the final first half points for Marian, as they took to the locker room with a 50-33 lead.

The Knights came out flat to start the second half and gave up a pair of open layups to Taylor that cut the lead to 13, forcing coach Scott Heady to take a timeout just 56 seconds into the second half. The timeout woke up the Marian lineup, and the offense immediately got into gear as Jackson Ames and Gavin Foe helped push the difference back to 17 points. Foe would help Marian capture their first 20-point advantage with a jumper at the 16:08 mark in the second half, as the lead continued to swell after the under-15 media timeout. Whitaker, Bryan, and Nolan Foster helped push the lead past the 20-point threshold, and with 9:59 to play in the game a Dylan Moles three gave the Knights a 28-point lead.

The 74-46 lead captured by the Moles three sealed the Marian win, as the Knights were able to coast for the final 10 minutes, rotating players up and off the bench for the remainder of the half. The Knights led by 20 or more points for the remainder of the contest as the defense helped seasl the win, and ended the game with their largest lead as a Rowen Farrell dunk in the final 20 seconds capped the scoring on the 96-67 victory.

Whitaker led the Knights in scoring with a game-high 23 points, adding four rebounds and three assists. Etchison finished the game with 13 points, and Henderson, who finished the game 4-4 from the field, scored 11 points. Moles, Bryan, and Maximus Gizzi each scored 10 points, and Gavin Foe led the team with seven rebounds in the win. 

Marian will go on the road as they return to non-conference action, traveling to St. Francis (Ill.) on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. eastern time.

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