WALLA WALLA, Washington (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team couldn't slow down a hot-shooting Whitman College squad, this evening, Dec. 22, as the Missionaries shot over 58 percent from the floor en route to a 103-71 win at the Sherwood Center.
Whitman (6-3), coming off a 120-point performance in a win over Wells yesterday, showed no signs of slowing down this evening as it went 58.7 percent from the field, while connecting on 13 three's on the way to another 100-plus-point effort. The Sabres (6-5) shot a respectable 48.7 percent, including 57.1 percent in the second half, and still lost ground to the Missionaries by game's end. Mike Keller and Josh Creed led the Sabres with 14 points apiece, while Alex Stecker added 10. Whitman's Jackson Clough led five players in double figures with 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-for-3 from downtown and 7-for-7 at the free throw line. The Missionaries took a 49-32 lead into halftime after shooting over 56 percent from the field and added to it over the final 20 minutes by shooting 61.5 percent in the second half. Despite shooting better in the second half, the Sabres didn't do themselves any favors after committing 12 second-half turnovers that led to 20 Whitman points at the other end. Marian made 24 miscues in all that led to 31 Whitman points. The outstanding offensive performance marked the fourth 100-plus scoring effort for the Missionaries this season, falling shy of their season-high output of 129 points from a win over D'Youville in the season opener. The Sabres will continue their 5-game road trip, returning home from Washington to prepare for a stiff road test at Benedictine, Jan. 3. SPOKANE, Washington (SabreAthletics.com) – Alex Stecker led five players in double figures for the Marian University men's basketball team, but it wasn't enough to upset perennial NCAA Tournament participant Whitworth University as the Pirates led from start-to-finish to come away with a 78-64 win, this evening, Dec. 21.
Buckets were hard to come by for the Sabres (6-4) in the first half, shooting just 28 percent (7-for-25) from the field on the way to a 12-point halftime deficit. The Pirates (6-2) are coming off their eighth straight trip to the NCAA tournament and used a 60 percent second half shooting effort to hold off a Sabre squad that was able to cut the deficit to as little as 7 points on a Drew Binversie layup with 1:04 remaining. Binversie finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in a solid all-around effort. Stecker scored 13 points on 3-of-4 from downtown and 4-for-4 at the free throw line to lead the Blue and White. Josh Creed and Montrell Hobbs added 12 points apiece, while Mark Keller chipped in 10 off the bench in the loss. With 9:22 left in the second half, Taylor Farnsworth gave Whitworth its largest lead of the game of 16 points at 56-40. Farnsworth tied with two other teammates for game-high honors with 14 points, leading five players in double figures. Just 2 minutes later, Carvell Oliver completed an 8-0 run for the Sabres to get them right back into the game. The Pirates were quick to respond, however, as a 7-0 run then pushed the deficit back to double digits. Wouldn't be until a minute left that Binversie was able to get the deficit down to 7 points at 70-63 and then the Pirates sealed the win with free throws down the stretch. Marian shot much better in the second half with a 42.9 percent (15-for-35) clip, including 4-for-7 from downtown, but Whitworth proved just too much with a 60 percent (12-for-20) shooting performance with a 17-for-23 effort at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes. The Sabres were outscored 20-10 over the final 10:12 of the first half after the Sabres pulled to within 2 points at 14-12. Marian committed just three turnovers in the second half after a 10-turnover first half led the to big halftime deficit. Whitworth scored 14 points off Marian's turnovers, while the Sabres converted 12 points off 11 Pirate miscues. Marian will be back in action tomorrow night, making the nearly 3 hour drive to Walla Walla, Washington to take on Whitman College (4-3) at 7 p.m. pacific time, 9 p.m. central. FOND DU LAC, Wisconsin (SabreAthletics.com) – It was a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference showdown featuring the league's top-two teams and measured up to the billing of a hotly-contested, physical match-up, but the Marian University men's basketball team fell on the short-end as visiting Aurora University came away the victors by a score of 65-62 inside Sadoff Gymnasium, this evening, Dec. 17.
Marian (6-3, 5-1 NACC) weathered foul trouble in the first half to trail by just one going into halftime and led by as many as 3 points with under 5 minutes to go in the game. Some missed opportunities inside of 2 minutes cost the Sabres and a last-second three at the buzzer was off the mark to give the Spartans (8-3, 6-1 NACC) the narrow road win. Drew Binversie led all Sabres with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the free throw line. Isiah Daniels added 11 points, 3 rebounds and 4 steals in 20 minutes off the bench. Aurora's Brandon Smith led all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-16 from the floor, while Kyle Pilmer added 14 points and Kalmon Stokes chipped in 13 points and 3 blocks. Foul trouble early on put three Marian (6-3, 5-1 NACC) starters on the bench as Josh Creed, Binversie and Mike Keller picked up two fouls and managed just 8 minutes each in the first half. The bench would come up big for the Blue and White, outscoring Aurora, 15-2, in the first 20 minutes behind 7 points from Daniels and 6 points from Montrell Hobbs. Marian would go on to total a 24-5 margin in bench scoring for the game. Carvell Oliver's 3-pointer at the end of the first half brought the Sabres to within a point at 27-26, nearly erasing a 10-point deficit from earlier in the game. Less than 2 minutes into the second half, the Manitowoc native put the Sabres back in front with a tip-in off a missed layup to make it 30-29. It marked Marian's first lead since a 3-2 score with 18:57 left in the first half. Oliver would finish with 7 points and 8 rebounds in 31 minutes of action. It was back-and-forth to the finish, but with 4:22 left in the game, a pair of Creed free throws put the Sabres in front 57-54. Just then, the Spartans put together a 10-2 run led by Gavin Walker, who contributed 6 points in the run to give his team a late lead. Trailing 64-59, Binversie knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 2 points with 41 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, the Spartans turned the ball over and Alex Stecker had a chance to put the Sabres in front with a 3-point try from the wing, but it fell off the mark. Aurora kept Marian in it with missed throws at the end, but the Sabres couldn't convert, watching a potential game-tying 3-pointer off the right hand of Connor Morovits miss. It was just the third home loss for Marian in its last 27 home games dating back to the 2012-13 season and only the second loss in the last 23 home conference games – both coming at the hands of Aurora. The Sabres will begin a 5-game road trip this weekend as they head west to the state of Washington to take on the likes of Whitworth (Dec. 21) and Whitman (Dec. 22) followed by league contests at Benedictine (Jan. 3), Edgewood (Jan. 5) and Rockford (Jan. 10). Marian's next home game is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 13, in a rivalry match-up against Concordia Wisconsin. WAUKESHA, Wisconsin (SabreAthletics.com) – Marian University sophomore Josh Creed (Chicago, Illinois) turned in a career performance over the weekend and was rewarded by being named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week, the league office announced, today, Dec. 15.
After scoring just four points in the first half, Creed exploded for 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 10-for-10 at the free throw line, in just 14 minutes of action in the second half. The Chicago native finished with a career-high 32 points in an 84-58 win over Concordia Chicago last Saturday, Dec. 13. On two separate occurrences, Creed scored 11 straight points for the Sabres in the second half, who won their sixth straight overall and improved to 5-0 in conference play. Creed is currently fourth in the league in scoring at 17.2 points per game, while ranking first in free throw percentage at 88.4 percent. He and the Sabres (6-2, 5-0 NACC) will be back in action this Wednesday, Dec. 17, with a NACC showdown against Aurora (7-3, 5-1 NACC). Start time is set for 7 p.m. inside Sadoff Gymnasium in Fond du Lac. FOND DU LAC, Wisconsin (SabreAthletics.com) – Josh Creed's career-high 32 points paced the Marian University men's basketball team as it led from start-to-finish in an 84-58 rout of visiting Concordia University Chicago inside Sadoff Gymnasium, today, Dec. 13.
Creed poured in a career-high 32 points, 28 of which came in the second half on 11-for-17 shooting, including 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Marian shot over 61 percent for the game after a blistering 78.3 percent showing in the second half. Montrell Hobbs added 11 points, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in 20 minutes off the bench, while Carvell Oliver chipped in 12 points in 17 minutes. The Sabres (6-2, 5-0 NACC) jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first 10 minutes of action, forcing the Cougars (2-5, 0-4 NACC) to take a timeout after Hobbs made it 19-7 with 10:39 remaining. Marian held CUC to just 19 points on 8-for-22 shooting in the first half to take an 11-point lead into the locker room. From there, both teams regrouped offensively and filled up the box score as the Sabres outscored the Cougars, 54-39, in the final 20 minutes. Both teams combined to miss just 11 shots total in the second half as Marian went 18-for-23 (78.3 percent) and CUC shot 15-for-21 (71.4 percent). Creed's 28 second-half points came on 9-of-12 shooting, including 10-for-10 from the free throw line in just 14 minutes. When he exited the game with over 3 minutes remaining, he had built the Sabres a comfortable 75-54 lead. The lack of rebounding opportunities allowed the Sabres to dominate on the glass with a 30-13 edge for the game, including a 10-4 advantage in the second half. In one of the wackiest statistics one will ever see, CUC did not record a single individual defensive rebound in the second stanza. The Sabres converted 18 CUC turnovers into 26 points and outscored the Cougars in with a 44-32 advantage in points in the paint. Kylan Anderson led CUC with 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while Brandon Stinson added 12 points and Kostas Doxakis chipped in 10. Marian sits alone in first in the NACC standings after Aurora's loss to Edgewood Saturday night. The 1-loss Spartans (7-3, 5-1 NACC) will invade the Sadoff this Wednesday, Dec. 17, in a NACC showdown set for 7 p.m. FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Solid defense and a fast start offensively propelled the Marian University men's basketball team to its fifth straight win and a 4-0 start in conference play as it knocked off Rockford University, 70-58, inside Sadoff Gymnasium, Saturday evening, Dec. 6.
Marian (5-2, 4-0 NACC) led by as many as 25 points with 10 minutes left in the game, building on a 12-point halftime lead to win going away and remain one-of-two unbeaten teams left in league play. Alex Stecker scored all of his game-high 12 points in the first half, connecting on 4-of-6 from downtown. Montrell Hobbs added 10 points, 7 rebounds off the bench, while Drew Binversie chipped in 5 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in the win. The Sabres jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to Carvell Oliver, who recorded a steal and lay-in at the other end followed by a triple to force a Rockford (1-7, 1-3 NACC) timeout just 60 seconds into the game. The Sabres would erase a 2-point deficit with an 18-4 run to make it 29-17 with 5:18 left in the first half. Marian would head to the locker room with a comfortable 38-26 advantage after shooting 51.7 percent (15-for-29) in the first half. Binversie opened up the second half with a 3-pointer followed by a John O'Bryan bucket to make it 41-28. O'Bryan entered the game leading the NACC in scoring at 20.4 points per game, but was held to 17 points, 8 of which he scored in the final 6-plus minutes with the game well-in-hand. From that point, the Sabres embarked on a 19-7 run, capped by three straight points by Isiah Daniels, to make it a 60-35 lead with 10:12 remaining. Daniels finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Bench scoring and rebounding played a large role in the win as Marian outscored Rockford 32-13 off the bench and registered a 42-23 advantage on the glass. The Sabres sit tied for first place in the NACC with Aurora (6-2, 4-0 NACC) as the only remaining unbeaten teams in conference play. Marian is 20-1 in its previous 21 home games against league opponents and will put that on the line as it welcomes Concordia Chicago to Sadoff Gymnasium next Saturday, Dec. 13. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m. FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team registered its fourth straight win and remained unbeaten in conference play after dispatching a battered Wisconsin Lutheran College squad, 77-55, inside Sadoff Gymnasium, this evening, Dec. 4.
Carvell Oliver and Josh Creed tied for game-high honors with 15 points, but it was Drew Binversie with another superb all-around effort for the Sabres (4-2, 3-0 NACC) after turning in 13 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in the win. Marian never trailed on the way to its seventh straight win over the Warriors (3-4, 1-3 NACC) in the all-time series. Marian has hung its hat on the defensive end and it's shown following a fourth straight opponent being held to under 58 points. Wisconsin Lutheran shot just 35.4 percent (17-for-48) for the game and 26.9 percent (7-for-26) in the second half, while the Sabres converted 14 WLC turnovers into 21 points. Marian got off to a great start with a 18-8 advantage following an Isiah Daniels lay-in at the 12:33 mark in the first half. The Warriors would eventually cut the deficit to one when Alec Breazeale made it 20-19 with 9:14 left in the half. But then the Sabres went on a substantial run, outscoring the Warriors 16-4 over the next 6 minutes of action to take a commanding, 36-23 lead. WLC would cut the deficit to 8 points at the half, trailing 39-31. Creed tallied 11 of his 15 points in the first half, while Oliver connected on three 3's. The Warriors kept the margin in single digits for the early part of the second half until the Sabres embarked on a 17-5 run capped by a Binversie layup to make it 68-47 at the 5:25 mark. Marian had 10 players enter the scoring column and assisted on 22-of-30 field goals in the win. It marks the most assists for a Marian team since registering 24 in a NACC tournament first round win last February – also against WLC. The Sabres outscored WLC's bench, 31-23. In addition to Hobbs' 10 points off the bench, the Sabres received quality production from Daniels (7 points), Brandon McCullum (6 points, 3 rebounds) and Mark Keller (5 points). WLC was led by DJ Escamilla, who scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Jake Jarnigo, who came into the game averaging over 20 points per game, was held to just 8 points on 2-for-7 from the field. The Sabres will look to wrap up a busy week this Saturday, Dec. 6, when they take on Rockford at 4:15 p.m. Marian is asking that everyone wear blue to the game in an effort to raise awareness for juvenile diabetes and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. MILWAUKEE, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – Sophomore Josh Creed poured in a game-high 22 points, including 15 in the second half, but it was timely defense late that propelled the Marian University men's basketball team to a 59-57 win over host MSOE at the Kern Center, tonight, Dec. 2.
"We really battled, really defended well. It was a grinder," said Head Coach Mark Boyle, who's in his 27th season with the Sabres. "We had to outfight them, go out there and be the aggressor, and not let them get the upper hand on us." After a late turnover gave the ball back to MSOE (2-4, 1-2 NACC) down two points and with 21 seconds left, the Sabre defense stepped up to deny several opportunities that could have tied the game before time expired. Creed's tremendous effort paced the Sabres (3-2, 2-0 NACC) offensively, who shot 56 percent (14-for-25) in the second half after a dismal first half display to secure their third win in a row. For the second straight game, junior Drew Binversie finished one rebound shy of a double-double to go along with 10 points. Marian struggled from the outset, falling behind 11-4 more than 8 minutes into the game. However, it turned things on in a hurry as freshman Connor Morovits capped a 5-0 run with a 3-pointer from the corner and forced the Raiders to take their first timeout. MSOE would eventually take a 25-21 lead into the break after holding the Sabres under 31 percent (8-for-26) from the floor. Marian would take its first lead of the second half following an Isiah Daniels layup at the 11:24 mark to make it 37-36. Both teams would trade leads back-and-forth over the course of the next 10 minutes or so until the final 3:31 when the Sabres embarked on a 12-2 run to take a 6-point lead. Carvell Oliver led the rush with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 51-50. He then followed it up with a jumper to give the Sabres a one point lead. Creed then found a lane to the basket and a Jeremiah Erdmann foul allowed him to convert an old-fashioned 3-point play. Now leading 55-53, Marian continue to pad its lead with back-to-back buckets by Binversie and Creed to make it 59-53 with 1:10 left in the game. "I thought we really asserted ourselves at that point," Boyle said. "All night long, Josh made some really tough baskets and Drew got the free throw line and rebounded well." An Erdmann lay-in followed by two Austin Stueck free throws suddenly cut the advantage back to one possession, but the Sabres had the ball with 34 seconds remaining and a chance to run out the clock. MSOE chose not to foul right away and it paid off in the form of a Marian turnover that gave the Raiders a chance to tie or take the lead with 21 seconds left. Out of a timeout, MSOE got the ball into Greg Pigg, but he missed the layup and it went out of bounds last touched by the Sabres. The Raiders would get two more opportunities in the final 5 seconds, but good defense forced those into off-balanced shots before time finally expired. "Carvell, Mark Keller and Josh really made it tough on them in their last possession," Boyle said. "This was a battle and we're happy with the 2-0 start in conference." The Sabres are in the midst of a rigorous weekly slate as they have yet to take on Wisconsin Lutheran and Rockford. Both contests will be Marian's first at home, beginning with WLC this Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. |
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