FOND DU LAC, Wis. (Sabreathletics.com) – The Marian University women's basketball team welcomed Aurora University tonight, Jan. 14, for a crucial conference match-up. A hot start for the Spartans had the Sabres playing catch-up all night and eventually proved to be too much as they cruised to a 69-60 win inside Sadoff Gymnasium.

Less than four minutes into the game the Spartans (5-11, 5-6 NACC) went on a tear thanks to solid three point shooting and missed opportunities by the Sabres. While the Sabres (9-6, 5-5 NACC) were having a tough time making a basket, the Spartans knocked down five three-pointers during a 17-point run to gain 19-point lead with less than 8 minutes remaining in the half.

A Sabre timeout stopped the bleeding and helped spark a nine-point run of their own, capped off by a Jessica Roberts three-pointer.  The Sabres ended the half shooting 33 percent from the floor and nearly 43 percent from beyond the arc, but were trumped by a Spartan offense that shot 15-of-25, including 70 percent shooting from three-point range to go into the half down 38-27.

The Sabres stepped things up in the second half and eventually cut the lead to eight, but continuous responses by the Spartans prevented a game-changing run. Sarah Olewinski led the Sabres with 22 points thanks to 50 percent shooting from the field.

Aurora's Shannon Koski was the player of the night and the reason for the Sabres troubles. Koski went 5-of-8 from beyond the arch and 13-of-22 from the field to score a game-high 37 points. Her partner in crime was Bethany Dorrington, who also had herself a solid night, scoring 16 point while bringing down 10 rebounds.

The Sabre bench had a busy night as six players came in for over 10 minutes of play to help change the pace. Brandi Bender led the bench with nine points, while they scored 29 points combined while keeping  the Sabres in the game.

The Sabres have two days of rest coming up before playing second place Benedictine on Saturday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.