FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Marian University women's basketball (2-8, 1-4 NACC) used a big fourth quarter to pull away from Dominican and defeat the Stars 60-46 for their first NACC win of the season.

The Sabres jumped out fast with an 8-2 run to open the game but the Stars were able to battle back to cut the deficit to one at 12-11 to end the first quarter.  Junior guard Brandi Bender led the way for MU shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field as she went on to score eight points in the opening frame.

Dominican then continued their late first quarter push opening the second quarter with an 8-0 run to give the Stars a 19-12 lead.  Marian was able to answer, however, as they scored 12 of the final 15 points in the quarter to take a 24-22 lead into halftime.

The third quarter began similarly to the first half with back-and-forth action leading to a Dominican 31-29 advantage with 4:27 left in the quarter.  The Sabres then once again closed out the quarter strong using a 10-2 run to take a 39-33 lead heading to the final quarter.

Marian was able to continue to use that momentum opening the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run to extend their lead out to 46-35 with 6:58 left to play.  The Stars managed to bounce back and cut the deficit to six with 48-seconds remaining but the Sabres would go 8-8 from the free throw line to set the final at 60-46.

The Sabre defense once again had a strong day forcing 23 turnovers and holding Dominican to 3-20 (.150) shooting from beyond the arc.

Senior Nicole Paulus led the way offensively for MU with a game-high 21 points.  Bender finished with 16 points, while freshman Brianna Horton also hit double-figures with 10 points.  Freshman Carley Wilson had a strong game down low with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Marian remains at home to host Lakeland Tuesday, Jan. 3 for a 7 p.m. tip.

--FightBlueFight--