Mishawka, Ind. - The Knights jumped out to a 14-8 lead Wednesday night as they battled against Bethel, however a 13-0 run in the first quarter for the Pilots gave them the lead for good as the men's basketball team fell 87-72. Marian's sixth loss in Crossroads League play drops them to 18-6 overall and 8-6 in league action.

The Knights started strong Wednesday night, getting a quick six points from Taeshon Cherry and a Hayden Langkabel dunk to pad an 8-2 lead in the first two minutes. Christian Harvey went coast to coast with a layup, and after a pair of Bethel scores Gavin Foe helped keep control, scoring in a 4-2 stretch that gave the visitors a 14-8 lead.

Langkabel's score at the 14:44 mark was quickly answered by a Drew Lutz three, and after a full timeout the Pilots went to work from beyond the arc, nailing three of four trey's to go on a 13-0 run. Tanguy Touze's three at the 11:06 mark forced Marian to regroup with a timeout trailing 21-14, as they gradually regained their bearings with Cherry and Foe scoring in the paint and at the line. Trading scores throughout much of the final eight minutes of the opening half, Bethel held their lead at three points or more, with a combination of Lutz and Nathan Aerts answering the scores of Harvey and Langkabel.

A Brody Whitaker jumper with 4:27 would be the closest Marian would get to taking back the lead as the half dwindled, with Bethel building their lead back to a two-possession game over the next three trips down the floor. Marian would go into the half trailing 40-35, getting a point back with 61 seconds to go on a Jackson Ames free throw. 

Fouls plagued Marian early in as the second half resumed, with the Pilots working their way to the charity stripe to extend their lead. A three-point play from Josh Bryan gave the Knights their second score in the half and cut Bethel back to a three-point lead, but Marian's inability to stop Bethel's three-point shooters cost dearly. 

As the Knights aimed to grab momentum, a Pilot would knock down a trey, with Lutz and Deacon Heath drianing outside scores. The score remained a two-score contest throughout the first eight minutes of the half despite the three-point barrage, with Whitaker and Harvey carrying the scoring. At the 11:08 mark, a layup from Aerts ignited a 7-0 run for Bethel, giving them their first double-digit lead of the game. 

Harvey would help Marian cut their deficit to nine points after Bethel claimed the double-digit lead, but that would be the closest the score would get for the remainder of the night, as the Pilots answered any Knight score with one of their own. Bethel led by as many as 17 points in the final five minutes, closing Marian's 87-72 road defeat.

The Knights shot a respectable 46.6 percent from the field in the loss, however a cold 1-17 night from downtown did the Knights in, with Bethel canning 10 more shots from deep. Harvey finished with a game-high 20 points while dishing three of the team's nine assists, and Cherry scored 13. Langkabel and Foe each scored 11 in the loss.

Marian will return home on Saturday as they look to avenge an early season loss to Huntington, with tip coming at approximately 3 p.m.

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