Joliet, Ill. - The Marian men's basketball team suffered their seventh defeat of the season on Saturday night, falling at the University of St. Francis (Ill.) 64-59. Marian is 1-7 on the year.

The Knights got off to a strong offensive start on Saturday, as Aaron Humphrey Jr. and Ron Rutland III helped build an 11-10 lead through the first four minutes of play. The scoring rhythm would then take a turn for the worse, as neither team scored a bucket for the next two minutes. A three-pointer for Humphrey extended the lead to four as points started to go back on the board, with Joshua Renfro burying his second downtown shot of the night to keep Marian in front.

Marian led 19-16 with 9:55 to play in the first half after Lamar Jones scored in transition off an Aidan Franks steal, while the lead would reach as many as nine with Humphrey shouldering the load. The first-year Knights gave Marian a 25-20 lead with 5:48 to play in the first half, but the remainder of the period would belong to the Fighting Saints, as the hosts ended the period on a 12-5 run. Rutland would tie the game at 30 each with 90 seconds to play in the period, but with 22 seconds to play, St. Francis turned to Connor Casper, who gave the home team a two-point edge at the break. 

The Saints control of the game carried into the second half, as they built a five-point lead just over three minutes into the second half. Rutland and Renfro whittled the deficit to three in the ensuing minutes with driving baskets, but St. Francis had an answer for each Marian make. 

St. Francis pushed their lead to seven with 14 minutes to play in the game, and continued to hold a lead of at least two possessions over Marian for the next handful of minutes. With 8:20 to play in the game, Aaron Humphrey Jr. pressed the Saints, driving to the rim to bring the score within one, as the Knights trailed 52-51. Humphrey continued to lead the offense as the Saints would eventually regain a five-point lead, but a pair of foul shots from the Indianapolis product with 3:52 to play made the game a one-point affair once more. 

The score remained a one-point game over the next minute, but with 2:11 to play, Coleton Hansen of St. Francis buried a game-clinching three-pointer, giving the hosts firm control. Aidan Franks missed a three in retaliation but managed to beat the shot clock on the team's next possession, cutting the lead to two with 38 seconds to play. Trailing 61-59, the Knights played out the following possession, fouling Merrick Small as he hit a layup. Small converted the free throw on the three-point play attempt to ice the game, as St. Francis handed Marian a 64-59 defeat.

Humphrey led Marian in scoring with 21 points and nine rebounds in the loss, while Rutland scored 12 and Renfro scored 10. Aidan Franks and Luke Carroll each scored four points to lead the bench scoring efforts in the defeat. 

The Knights finish their weekend in Chicago on Sunday afternoon, playing St. Xavier at 4:00 p.m. EST on the campus of the University of St. Francis.

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