INDIANAPOLIS - The undefeated start to the 2025-26 season continued on Saturday for the Marian women's basketball team, as the Knights rolled past Spring Arbor 68-48 in their first home Crossroads League game. Marian is 7-0 on the season and 2-0 on the young league year.

The game started at a breakneck pace, with each team pressing the other, leading to fastbreak points up and down the court. Abbey McNally and Zoe Wheeler carried the early scoring load for Marian, scoring seven of the first nine points for the Knights. The fast-paced start soared to a 9-9 game, but in the third minute of the day, the Knights' offense took a hit, with Madisyn Bailey picking up her second foul, going to the bench, and leaving Marian without their true point guard.

Bailey's departure to the bench for the remainder of the half led to a series of sloppy play, as Marian struggled to get in a rhythm without the sophomore. Spring Arbor built its lead to six over the next handful of minutes following the foul. Still, Marian would rally, as seven combined points from the freshmen duo of Aubrey Frank and Violet Shuluga brought the contest to an 18-18 tie. Frank gave Marian the lead with 1:09 to play in the quarter and ended the quarter with an open three in the waning seconds, giving the Knights a 25-23 lead after one.

The scoring in the second quarter dropped off as the two sides backed off the full-court pressure that was provided in the first. Marian led the quarter in scoring 13-7, seeing contributions on offense from Abbey McNally and Eva Fisher. A string of layups from Fisher gave Marian a 35-26 lead, as their largest lead of the half at the 4:07 mark would hold the advantage going into halftime. Spring Arbor would whittle the lead to five in the final minute of the half, but a late basket from Kenna Kirby secured a 38-30 intermission lead.

Marian put the game to rest in the third quarter, overcoming their offensive woes by outscoring Spring Arbor 21-8 to take full control. Bailey's return to the court put the offense in gear, as the sophomore scored a layup for the first points of the half, igniting a 6-0 run. The quick run forced a Cougar timeout, as Marian built a 44-30 edge and gained full control of the game. The lead never dropped below 13 points after the strong start to the quarter, as Taylor Double and Kenna Kirby ensured a double-figure lead with open shots from downtown. Marian finished the third quarter on a 6-0 run, with Kirby putting a cap on the quarter with a fastbreak layup at the buzzer. 

Leading 59-38 going into the fourth quarter, Marian was able to close out the win despite losing the period by a 10-9 count. Madisyn Bailey and Taylor Double scored early in the quarter to extend the lead to 23, putting the game out of reach for the Cougars. Marian's defense enjoyed multiple stretches of longer than 90 seconds in the quarter without allowing a point, taking home a 68-48 win. 

The Knights forced 22 turnovers in the win, while shooting 45 percent from the floor. The Knights had a balanced scoring attack in the win, getting a team-high 11 points from Kenna Kirby, while Abbey McNally had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Madisyn Bailey had nine points and forced three steals in the win despite missing 17 minutes in the first half with foul troubles. 

Marian will be off until next Saturday, when the Knights host IU-Southeast. The November 29 matchup will begin at 5:00 p.m., a time adjustment to the originally scheduled tip of 1:00 p.m. due to Marian's home football playoff game.

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