INDIANAPOLIS - Abbey McNally scored 14 points in the first quarter Saturday afternoon, pacing a historic afternoon for the senior as she broke her own school record for single-game scoring, dropping a career-high 39 points in a 74-56 victory over Bethel University. The win improves Marian to 18-2 overall on the season, while picking up the team's eighth Crossroads League win in 10 tries. 

The Knights won the opening tip Saturday and set the tone for the afternoon on the defensive end of the court, forcing a turnover on each of Bethel's first three possessions. The early steals led to a pair of Abbey McNally baskets, with the senior scoring the Knights' first eight points on the offensive end of the court. Taylor Double knocked a three-pointer for the team's first non-McNally points, helping Marian control a 13-9 lead by the media stoppage. Abbey McNally continued her scoring ways after the timeout to extend Marian's lead to multiple possessions, eventually ending the first quarter with 14 points, giving her team a 17-12 lead after one period.

Marian started the second quarter strong with an early Zoe Wheeler layup, but quickly came to a slow down as the scoring began to match the frigid temperatures outside. Marian scored just five points through the first five minutes of the second quarter, allowing Bethel to keep within striking distance. While Marian worked through its offensive woes, Bethel equally fell to the scoring slumps, as the Knights' defense limited the Pilots to an equal five by the media break.

Taylor Double kept the Knights afloat with a jumper, while the defense continued to hound the Pilots, holding them to a 2-10 stretch from the field in the seven minutes of the half. Olivia Faust drained a transition three-pointer with 42 seconds remaining in the half, securing a Marian lead of 29-20 at the intermission. 

The third quarter script went in favor of both teams, as Bethel and Marian experienced different strings of success in the period. The Pilots outscored the Knights 6-4 in the first two minutes of the period, but the presence of Abbey McNally prevented the visitors from cutting within two scores, as she scored eight early points in the quarter to push the lead into double figures. Marian pushed the lead to 12 with 4:34 remaining in the quarter, but their scoring came to a halt, as a pair of three-pointers made by Mariah Claywell in 30 seconds slashed the advantage to six.

Bethel's run pushed to nine unanswered points, lasting nearly three minutes, as the score was cut to three. Marian went 0-5 from the field in its drought, but were brought back to life late in the quarter with an 8-2 sprint. Abbey McNally scored each of the Knights' final eight points, pushing Marian in front 50-41 after three quarters of play.

Leading by nine entering the final quarter, the Knights put the foot on the pedal and rocketed their lead well into double digits, getting to the foul line early while a three-point make from Olivia Faust grew the lead to 14. Kiley McNally added to the scoring for Marian as they reached 60 points as a team. Bethel could not recover from Marian's hot start to the quarter, and with 4:27 to play in the game, Abbey McNally scored off a Madisyn Bailey feed, logging points 38 and 39 of the day, breaking her own career-high to reestablish the Marian single-game scoring record. 

Marian would go on to lead by as many as 24 points in the final quarter, as Taylor Double put the finishing touches on Marian's totals in its 74-56 victory over Bethel University.

Abbey McNally filled in the box score in her record-setting day, breaking her own school record with 39 points on the day, while also grabbing 16 rebounds to record her 11th double-double of the season. In her record, McNally scored 14 points in the first quarter, two in the second, 16 in the third, and seven in the fourth. Her 16 points in the third quarter match her career-high, as she previously scored 16 in her then-record of 38 points on November 20, 2024, at Grace College.

Behind McNally, Taylor Double scored 10 points, and Kiley McNally scored nine points. Kenna Kirby had a team-high seven assists, while Madisyn Bailey had five assists and five steals in the win. 

The Knights now go on the road for their next two games, first traveling to Spring Arbor on Wednesday, January 28, for a 5:00 p.m. contest.

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