INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian men's basketball team completed their fourth-consecutive undefeated non-conference slate Saturday afternoon, as the Knights used a strong second half to claim an 79-54 win over Rio Grande. Marian's win is their 39th consecutive non-conference win dating back to 2019, as they close 2023 with an 11-2 overall mark.

Gus Etchison scored the first points of the game for Marian after the Knights won the opening tip, but the tide of the game would favor Rio Grande early on as the Red Storm retaliated with six unanswered points. Marian's short comings came from a poor shooting percentage in the opening minutes, however a Jackson Ames putback and Etchison trifecta knotted the game after the under-15 media timeout. Despite the quick surge of points, Rio Grande continued to hold the lead, pushing ahead by as many as four with the clock running under 10 minutes to play in the first half.

A three-point play from Ames after the second media timeout of the half helped spark Marian's offense, as shots began to fall with ease. Rio Grande would continue to hold a lead of one or more points as the clock continued to roll toward halftime, and expanded their lead to seven as a Trey Robertson triple put the visitors on top 33-26. With 2:36 to play before the break, the Knights made their run, getting a pair of free throws from Etchison to ignite the fire, while a three from Maximus Gizzi on the next possession cut the score to two. Brody Whitaker made a pair of free throws to tie the game with 1:21 remaining, and with two seconds to play Etchison buried a contested three, capping the 10-0 run to give Marian a 36-33 lead at intermission.

Riding the momentum of their run to close the first half, the Knights exploded to start the second half, scoring on four of their first five possessions of the half. A pair of three-point plays highlighted Marian's quick start, while four unanswered points from Etchison on the front end of the under-15 media timeout pushed their lead to 14. The strong start to the half gave Marian a 52-38 lead, and put the home team in control as Brody Whitaker managed the scoring to keep the Knights on top by four possessions.

An open three-point shot from Josh Bryan with 10:54 to go in the game reclaimed a 16-point lead for Marian, and all but sealed the game as the Knights led by 15 points or more for the final 9:20 of the afternoon. Bryan added five more points to his total as he gave Marian a 67-47 lead in the game, putting the game further out of reach with five minutes to go. A jumper from Gizzi gave Marian their largest lead of the game with 62 seconds left as they held a 27-point difference on the board, leading Marian into the New Year with a 79-54 victory.

The Knights shot an effective 49 percent from the field in the win, and were led in scoring by Whitaker who poured in 23 points to go with four rebounds. Gus Etchison had a strong game, scoring 17 points on a 4-5 shooting mark from downtown, adding a team-high six assists and two blocks to his stat line. Bryan finished with 13 points off the bench, and Ames added eight points and eight rebounds. Gizzi scored eight points as well in the win for Marian.

The victory for Marian is their 39th consecutive non-conference win, completing four consecutive seasons with an undefeated mark against non-Crossroads League foes in the regular season. Marian's winning streak in the non-conference started on December 15, 2019, with a win over Rocky Mountain College. Marian ended 2019-20 with four consecutive wins against non-CL foes, adding seven wins in their COVID-19 altered 2020-21 slate, eight in 2021-22, and 10 in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. 

The winning streak in the non-conference in the longest in the nation in all levels of college basketball. Purdue University currently holds the longest such streak in the NCAA, winning 33 consecutive games with three straight undefeated non-conference runs.

Marian returns to Crossroads League play when they next return to the court, taking on Goshen College on Wednesday, January 3. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and will be the second game in Wednesday's doubleheader with the women's team.

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