Fort Wayne, Ind. - The Marian men's basketball team ended their week with a perfect 2-0 mark, as the Knights got strong contributions from
Gus Etchison and
Brody Whitaker as they took down St. Francis 86-71. Marian is now 14-3 overall on the season, and 4-3 in Crossroads League action.
Marian got off to a strong start Saturday afternoon, as the return of
Brody Whitaker lifted the offense in the opening minutes as the junior scored five of the first seven points in the game. The Cougars slowly found an identity on offense and scored 11 unanswered points to capture an 11-7 lead by the under-15 media timeout, but Marian stayed steady after a four-minute lull as Whitaker snapped the scoring drought with a three. Whitaker continued to carry the offensive workload as he pushed his team in front 14-11 with his second trey of the half, helping pace a 19-13 lead as the clock rolled under 10-minutes before first half.
The Knights continued to hold the lead as the clock rolled under eight-minutes to play, however a string of four straight free throws for the Cougars helped by a technical foul assessed to Marian brought the game to a 19-19 tie. Despite the surge of points from the home team, Marian stayed true to their gameplan and held control of the game, as
Maximus Gizzi and
Gus Etchison helped the visitors on the scoreboard. St. Francis would chip back within three points of the Knights on multiple possessions in the final five minutes of the first half, but Marian stayed on top thanks to late offense from Etchison, as they led 39-33 at halftime.
In the second half, Whitaker and
Nolan Foster quickly helped Marian ascend their scoring pace, as Marian dropped 10 points in the first two minutes of the half.
Gus Etchison gradually took over the scoring load for Marian after Whitaker's strong first half, pouring in shots from inside and out to take a double-digit lead. The Knights led 64-55 with 12:29 to play in the game, and after getting a layup on back to back possessions from Etchison and
Gavin Foe, Marian solidified their 10-plus point lead for the reminder of the game.
Etchison led the offensive output for the remainder of the game, as he carried the scoring load and paced the four possession lead. St. Francis would come no closer than 12 points of Marian over the final 9:32 of the game, as the Knights ended the game with a comfortable 86-71 win.
In the 15-point win, Etchison scored a season-high 34 points, topping his previous best of 31. Etchison would finish with five rebounds and two assists in addition to his dominant scoring game. Whitaker scored 22 points in his return from injury, and Gizzi scored 10 points while posting a team-high five assists.
Gavin Foe led the Knights with seven rebounds, and Foster scored eight points.
Marian will come home as they enter the final week in the first half of the Crossroads League season, taking on Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday night with a scheduled tip time of 7:00 p.m.
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