INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian men's basketball program failed to break its longest losing skid in over a decade on Saturday afternoon, falling at home against No. 24 Taylor 68-42. Marian falls to 5-19 on the season, remaining in 10th place in the Crossroads League standings, with a 2-12 conference record. 

Taylor completed a wire-to-wire victory on Saturday, forcing a Marian turnover after the Knights won the opening tip, sparking a 7-2 spurt for the visitors to begin the contest. Aidan Franks and Josiah Gustin gave Marian an offensive spark with back-to-back scores, but it wasn't enough to establish a rhythm, as Taylor was able to build a three-possession lead within the game's first seven minutes. 

The Trojans continued to put Marian in a hole, gradually expanding their lead to nine points. Luke Carroll and Dylan Moles were able to pull that margin within seven by the six-minute mark of the first half, with Marian trailing 23-16, it would not be enough to get the offense over the top. Ron Rutland III brought Marian inside of two scores as he buried a three-point shot with 2:29 remaining in the half. Still, it would stand as the final make of the half, as the Knights suffered another scoreless drought of two minutes of more prior to halftime this season. Taylor scored eight unanswered entering halftime, taking a 35-21 lead at intermission. 

Despite Aidan Franks scoring the first points of the second half, Marian could not find answers to stop Taylor in the second period, as the Trojans flexed their national ranking throughout the half. A lengthy 17-2 run that featured three made downtown shots and a pair of paint scores buried Marian's chances, as Taylor took a 57-27 lead with 10:17 to play. The Trojan run lasted over five minutes in totality, while they held the Knights scoreless for over four minutes to play to take a 30-point lead.

Marian would win the final 10 minutes of the game as they out-scored Taylor 15-11 in the closing moments, but it was too little to alter the outcome, losing to No. 24 Taylor 68-42.

Josiah Gustin was a bright spot offensively for Marian, grabbing nine offensive rebounds and 12 total in the game. Dylan Moles scored eight points to lead the team, and Aaron Humphrey Jr. scored eight and snagged nine rebounds. Marian committed 15 turnovers in the loss, recording their worst offensive performance of the year with a .274 team shooting percentage. 

Marian's final road stretch of the season begins on Wednesday, when the team travels to the current No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA, Grace College. 

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