FOND DU LAC, Wis. (SabreAthletics.com) – The Marian University men's basketball team put 12 players in the scoring column en route to picking up its first win of the season, knocking off Northland International in a non-conference action, 80-44, inside Sadoff Gymnasium, this evening, Nov. 22.

The Sabres (1-2) forced 28 turnovers, resulting in 31 points, and held the Pioneers (0-4) to just 31.8 percent shooting on the way to victory in front of a raucous crowd.

Sophomore Josh Creed led all scorers with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including a 5-for-5 effort at the charity stripe in just 21 minutes. Fellow sophomore Brandon McCullum added 10 points in 12 minutes, while freshmen Isiah Daniels and Connor Morovits added 8 points apiece in a balanced effort for the Sabres.

Marian shot a blistering 52.8 percent (19-for-36) in the second half to extend a 17-point halftime lead. Already leading by 19 points, the Sabres used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to take a 55-25 advantage with 11:20 to play. They would build their lead to as many as 38 points late in the game, seemingly having their way offensively all night long.

Marian took a 17-point, 31-14, lead into the locker room despite shooting just 36.4 percent (12-for-33) in the first half. Thanks to 14 NIU turnovers, the Sabres capitalized with 16 points off those miscues, which more than equaled the Pioneers' halftime score.

With the lead holding steady above 20 points for the majority of the second half, Head Coach Mark Boyle was able to get a lot of his players significant minutes. A total of 12 players registered double-digit minutes, while David Hazuga and Mike Waters fell just shy of 10 minutes. The Sabres finished the game with a 43-24 advantage in bench scoring.

Jono Newlin led Northland International with 9 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Devon Gibson and Andrew Mee each added 8 points. The Pioneers finished the game just 2-for-16 from long range.

This was Marian's final tune-up before the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opener at Dominican next Saturday, Nov. 29. Tip-off between the Sabres and Stars is set for 4:15 p.m. from Igini Sports Forum in River Forest, Ill.