Joliet, Ill. - The Marian men's basketball team led for all but 47 seconds Tuesday night, as the Knights earned a commanding 76-65 road victory over St. Francis (Ill.) as they jump back into non-conference play. The Knights win improves their overall record to 8-2 on the season.

The Saints scored the opening points of the game to take the game's first lead, but it would be their last as Marian held the reins for the final 38:47 of game time. The Knights scoring started with an open trey from Gus Etchison, and continued as the transfer and Brody Whitaker pushed Marian to a 12-7 lead. The backcourt duo saw their scoring streak end as Jackson Ames got involved on the offensive end, as he and Nolan Foster helped keep a steady five-point advantage. 

The Marian lead continued to hold between three and five points as the Saints matched the offensive output from the Knights. Maximus Gizzi played his role to hold Marian in front as the point guard halted the Fighting Saints' momentum, as the home team was able to cut the lead down to two points. The surge stopped at the 6:03 mark as Gizzi, Whitaker, and Ames combined on a 6-0 run to push the lead to eight, giving the Knights more breathing room going into halftime. Josh Bryan would give the Knights their largest first half lead with an open three point shot as they pushed in front by 10 points in the final minute, however St. Francis' Nick Niego was able to answer with a late three, setting the score at 43-36 going into the locker room.

Etchison took over the offensive output to start the second half, helping keep Marian in control as he helped maintain a three-possession lead. Whitaker and Etchison would give Marian their largest lead of the game with 14:04 remaining as the duo scored paired up for six straight points to proved a 56-43 lead. Marian was unable to extend their lead however, as the Saints came roaring back, going on a 9-2 spree to slash Marian's lead to four before the 10-minute mark. The Saints continued to chip away as they reduced Marian's lead to a single point with 8:12 remaining, but the offense of Whitaker prevented the Knights from giving up their hold on the game. 

Whitaker put Marian back on top by three, and an Etchison three-pointer one minute later put Marian in control by two possessions. Marian would allow the Saints back within two points with 5:09 remaining in the game, but a three from the freshman Ben Henderson helped the Knights stay in charge for good, as they closed the game on a 9-0 run, playing perfect defense to seal the 76-65 victory.

Etchison poured in a game-high 24 points in the win, adding three assists and two steals to his statline. Whitaker finished with 18 points in the game, and Gizzi scored 16 points to establish a new season-high. Ames scored eight points and led Marian in rebounding with six boards.

Marian will next be in action on December 16, as they play the first of their two games in the desert, traveling to Arizona to play in the Cactus Classic. Marian's first game will come against the Providence Argos.

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