Goshen, Ind. - For the first time since February 20, 2016, the Marian men's basketball team has lost to Goshen College, as the Knights lost a scrappy 75-74 contest on Saturday afternoon. Marian's loss is its eighth in a row, as the team falls to 5-17 on the season and 2-10 in the Crossroads League. 

Things started smoothly for Marian as they opened play to the tune of an 11-3 run in the first five minutes of play, getting contributions from Aidan Franks and Ron Rutland III in the opening scoring spree. The hot start soon faded and over the game's next two minutes, the Maple Leafs scored seven unanswered points to whittle the score to one possession. A Joshua Renfro three-pointer and Elhadj Diallo basket secured a lead for the Knights by the halfway point of the first half, as Marian worked its lead to five with 9:20 to play in the first half. 

Luke Lindeman secured Marian's 18-13 lead with a basket at the 9:20 mark, but it would be the last multi-possession lead that the Knights would savor, as a 7-0 Goshen run vaulted the hosts in front 20-18. Lindeman and Franks traded baskets with Goshen and would help Marian reclaim a 24-22 edge, but the team was unable to hang in front, as Goshen would go on top 28-26 with 2:26 to play before halftime. 

Dylan Moles rectified some of the team's shortcomings in the physical game as he tied things once again, this time at 28-28 with 2:12 to play in the first half, but following the make, the Knights lost control in the waning moments of the period. A technical against Moles allowed Goshen to take the lead at the foul line, while a pair of technical fouls that resulted in the ejection of head coach Pat Knight allowed Goshen to score eight unanswered points at the charity stripe. The run for Goshen in the last two minutes helped them control a 36-30 lead by the halftime buzzer.

Returning to play in the second half, the Knights started the final 20 minutes inspired, trying to snap their losing skid and avoid losing to the Maple Leafs for the first time in a decade. The hopes of the that fell on the hands of Dylan Moles and Aidan Franks, who combined for six of the Knights' first 10 points to start the second half, as the lead for Goshen shrank to one. Goshen maintained its lead despite the pressure from Marian, and pushed their hold on the game back to seven points as Marcus Northern buried a three with 13:07 to play.

Marian would eventually find themselves trailing by 10 points as Goshen went on top 58-48 with 10:58 remaining, but again found a point of inspiration, getting five quick points between Moles, Aaron Humphrey Jr., and Luke Carroll. A three-point play from Humphrey capped what ended as a 9-0 run, bringing the Knights back within two possessions.

As the clock dwindled, Marian again found themselves behind double figures as Goshen ratcheted its lead back to 10, but another run for Marian quickly brought them back into the game, scoring 10 straight of their own to tie the contest at 66. With the game up for grabs with 5:32 to play, both the Knights and Leafs grabbed a share of the lead, with Moles sitting as the catalyst for the visiting offense. 

Aidan Franks would tie the game with 3:17 to play, and with 1:55 remaining, Josiah Gustin split a pair of free throws, allowing Marian to hold a narrow 74-73 lead. The Knights got a pair of stops to hold their lead, but were unable to extend the score as a turnover and missed basket gave Goshen the opportunity for the winning play. After a timeout, Goshen was able to draw and set their game-winning play, as Braden Allen scored a layup with 3.6 seconds to give the Leafs a 75-74 advantage. Marian drew a play for Moles to give the team a win, but his potential game-winner was blocked by Northern, ending the game in a 75-74 win for Goshen College.

Marian's loss against Goshen snaps the program's 19 game winning streak against the Maple Leafs, with this being the first loss in 10 seasons. Goshen's win also snapped its lengthy 56-game Crossroads League losing streak.

In the loss, Dylan Moles scored a game-high 23 points, while Aaron Humphrey Jr. scored 13 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Aidan Franks also scored 13 in the loss, and Ron Rutland III had three steals and four assists in the defeat. 

Marian plays on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. against Mount Vernon Nazarene.

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