INDIANAPOLIS - Playing in the Wednesday matinee, the Marian men's basketball team came up on the losing end against No. 10 Bethel, as turnovers throughout the game plagued the Knights in the 89-66 defeat. Marian is 11-14 overall and 5-10 in Crossroads League action.

Marian and Bethel went back and forth in the opening minutes of the game, as four different Knights landed in the scoring column in the points exchange. The Pilots remained in the lead through the scoring, as Trent Edwards scored on the break to give Bethel a four-point lead at the first media stoppage. Bethel remained in the lead, but were challenged as Aidan Franks got into a rhythm, as Marian got scores on three consecutive possessions from the redshirt-freshman. A pair of free throws from Ehladj Diallo in his return from injury brought Marian within two, but the 20-18 score was quickly advanced by Bethel as they went in front 24-18 after a media timeout.

A dunk from Jackson Ames brought Marian back within two scores, however the 24-20 score would be as close as Marian would get for the remainder of the game, as the Pilots began to run away with the lead. A 12-2 Bethel run gave the guests a 36-22 lead with four minutes to play, as they carried their lead into double figures. Josiah Gustin and Dylan Moles would push back with a pair of consecutive scores, cutting the lead to 11 with 46 seconds to play in the first half. Despite the surge, Bethel had the last laugh in the first half, as Trent Edwards buried a three at the buzzer to to give the Pilots a 45-31 lead at intermission.

Marian shot 48 percent from the field in the first half, but eight turnovers haunted the Knights with the Pilots taking advantage of the giveaways.

Bethel wasted little time pushing their 14-point lead to 20 in the second half, opening the period on an 11-2 run. Trailing by 23 points, Marian called timeout, and used the stoppage to get back in sync, as they embarked on a 12-4 run to slash their deficit to 15 points. Gavin Foe and Dylan Moles carried the offense in the spell, while hustle plays from Dominic Bonner spirited the efforts. Chasing the Pilots 60-45, Bonner recorded a block on a fastbreak layup attempt of Andrew Hedrick, but the freshman was whistled for a technical after the play, setting up a five-point possession as Luke McBride gave the visitors a 20-point lead.

The Pilots held firm control of the lead after the 7-0 run that was created from the technical, rebuilding their 23-point lead. The Pilots would take an advantage of as many as 29 points over the final six minutes of the game, locking the 89-66 victory. 

The Knights were out-scored in the paint 44-26 in the loss, while Bethel scored 18 points off of Marian's 15 turnovers. Aidan Franks would score a game-high 21 points in the loss, while Dylan Moles finished with 12. Noah Lovan had nine points and three steals, and Bonner finished the game with six points, three rebounds, and two blocked shots. 

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