Mount Vernon, Ohio - The Marian men's basketball team held off an upset-minded Mount Vernon Nazarene team on Wednesday night, as the Knights survived a late first half run by the Cougars and second half surge to escape with an 81-78 win. Marian is now 21-6 overall on the season, and 11-6 in Crossroads League play.

The Knights dominated from the tip, opening the night on a 5-0 run in the first 65 seconds, while expanding their lead to eight points seconds after the clock rolled past five minutes of play. Gus Etchison and Brody Whitaker were catalysts in helping Marian build a 19-8 lead through six minutes, and in the next two minutes scores by Jackson Ames and Josh Bryan pushed the lead over 14 points. By the second media timeout of the half, Marian led 28-15 over Mount Vernon with a strong double-digit advantage.

After the under-10 minute media timeout, Marian continued to maintain their double figure lead, with Etchison carrying the scoring load as a 5-0 run by the junior increased his first half total to 14 points. With 6:06 to play, Etchison had poured in four more points including his second three-point make, helping Marian take a 20-point lead at 43-23. After the free throw that gave the guard 18 points, Marian went ice-cold, missing nine field goals while committing three turnovers in the final six minutes before halftime. In Marian's cold spell, Mount Vernon caught fire, scoring 15 unanswered points to get within five, while scoring with 11 seconds to play to send the team's to the break with a 45-40 score favoring the Knights.

Marian tightened up after seeing their 20-point lead collapse, but built confidence in the first four minutes of the second half as Maximus Gizzi and Ben Henderson helped bring the lead back to 10 points. The Knights would lead by as many as 12 points in the second half with Brody Whitaker driving to the cup with 13:49 to play, setting Marian in the lead as they pushed their lead to double figures for much of the next three minutes. Mount Vernon would get within six points before the second media timeout, and then again with 8:36 to play in the game.

The game would continue to flow in favor of both teams over the final eight minutes, with Marian's lead dropping to three points with 6:47 remaining following a 5-0 run. The Knights would respond with a 5-0 run of their own, as a step-back three by Etchison helped catapult Marian back in front by eight. With 4:12 to play Etchison took a steal forced by Whitaker and flushed a dunk to give Marian a 10-point lead, but the game would still not be secured as another drought allowed Mount Vernon back into the contest.

The Cougars scored seven unanswered points in a 2:30 window to make it a three-point contest, and answered an Etchison layup with a Trent Koning three-pointer to cut the score to a single possession. Jackson Ames would hit the front end of a one-and-one with 19 seconds remaining to put Marian in front by three points, and after wisely fouling the Cougars with six seconds to play to avoid a game-tying three, another set of foul shots by Whitaker would seal Marian's win, as the guard secured the 81-78 victory.

Marian ended the game shooting 48 percent from the floor, while going 17-of-19 at the foul line. Etchison scored a game-high 33 points in the win as he converted 11 field goals, and Jackson Ames recorded a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Whitaker scored 17 points in the win, and Josh Bryan led the bench scoring with six points. 

With Marian's win, they locked their spot in the Crossroads League Tournament as the four-seed, and will host Bethel in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals next Wednesday in the PE Center. Before the tournament begins, Marian will conclude their conference season on Saturday afternoon when they host No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan. The game will tip at approximately 3:00 p.m., with Marian's senior day ceremony to begin at the conclusion of the women's game. 

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