Joliet, Ill. - The Marian men's basketball team fell on Sunday afternoon against St. Xavier University in the second leg of the USF Thanksgiving Classic, losing 79-76 after Ron Rutland III was unable to extend the contest with his game-tying shot falling short. Marian is 1-8 following the loss.

The Knights and Cougars battled back and forth throughout the first half of Sunday's game, with each team trading baskets throughout the period. Marian earned scoring contributions from Joshua Renfro and Aidan Franks early in the game, hitting deep shots to help spark the team's best day from downtown. A three from Renfro with over 14 minutes to play in the first half gave the Knights a 19-14 lead, while a dunk three minutes later from Ron Rutland III pushed the Knights back into a five-point cushion after enduring a scoring lull.

St. Xavier pressured Marian and would use a 6-0 run over to take a 25-23 lead, but the Knights would counter with a Dylan Moles trifecta to go back in front by one. The lead changed hands four more times before the end of the half, with St. Xavier stealing the final change as the clock wound out, getting a Jerry Abushanab three with four seconds remaining to take a 41-39 edge.

In the second half, the game would show its decision in the result of two different runs, with Marian owning the first as they opened the final period on a 14-0 run. The hot start was paced by two three pointers from Dylan Moles, while a pair of Aaron Humphrey Jr. baskets saw the Knights push in front 53-41. St. Xavier would respond with a timeout and slowly chipped back at the deficit, but the Knights maintained a three or four-possession lead as the game progressed into the final 10 minutes.

The Knights stayed in control of the game and the lead going into the final six minutes of the game, capturing a 74-64 edge on a Rutland layup with 5:58 remaining. To Marian's chagrin, the Cougars made a rally cry, as St. Xavier immediately followed the Rutland score with a three-point play. St. Xavier kept scoring following the old-fashioned three, capitalizing on Marian's misses and turnovers as they pushed their run to 12 unanswered points.

The Cougars took the lead with 1:48 remaining on a layup from James Morgan, ending the run as they led 76-74. Marian turned to Renfro on the ensuing possession, but the freshman missed a three-point attempt with 90 seconds as the team looked to take the lead. The Knights would stay in the game despite seeing the lead slip, getting a stop and a game-tying layup from Aaron Humphrey Jr. to level the score at 76 with 45.9 seconds remaining. Immediately following the score, St. Xavier went to Morgan to take a lead, with the Cougar hitting a layup to go in front 78-76.

Trailing by two in the waning seconds, the Knights turned to Rutland, who got a clean look with two seconds remaining to tie the game, but his running jumper fell short and landed in the hands of a Cougar defender. St. Xavier would split their final free throws after the miss, ending the game in its final score of 79-76. 

Renfro scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Knights on Saturday, while Dylan Moles and Aaron Humphrey Jr. each scored 16 points. Humphrey finished the day with a double-double, securing 11 rebounds. Rutland scored 12 points in the loss, while Aidan Franks scored eight and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench. 

Marian will look to earn their second Crossroads League victory on Wednesday night when they host Goshen College.

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.