FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Marian University men's basketball (2-9, 1-5 NACC) pulled out a comeback win against Dominican University by a final score of 61-56.

It was a back-and-forth affair early in the first half as Dominican held the early 7-4 lead. The Stars would control most of the first half taking a 24-17 lead which resulted in a Marian timeout. The Sabres fought back into the game, however, cutting the deficit down to 28-24 with 52 seconds left.  A late basket at the end of the half allowed Dominican to take a 30-24 lead into halftime.

Coming out of halftime Marian would tie the game at 36 off a jump shot from junior Alex Manhardt.  Both sides would trade baskets for the next four minutes leading to a Marian timeout. Out of the timeout, the Stars would capitalize and expand their lead to seven with eight minutes left in regulation.

Marian would then gain momentum and cut the Star lead to one off a Sabre free throw. Freshman Trentin Fouse then tied the game at 53 with a three-point shot with 3:50 left in the game. Two free throws from Ryan Biffert later allowed the Sabres to claim the lead at 57-56 with just 1:08 remaining. The Sabre defense then stood tall the remainder of the game not allowing a single Dominican point leading to the 61-56 final.

The Marian defense would hold the Stars to 21-54 (.389) shooting while forcing 13 turnovers.

Leading the way for the Sabres was sophomore Ryan Biffert who had an impressive game on both sides of the ball finishing with 15 points and six rebounds. Freshman Will Polczynski added 11 points and eight rebounds of his own, while freshman Kelvin Jones came off the bench to give the MU 13 points.

Marian will be back in action Wednesday, Jan. 4 when the Sabres host Lakeland for a 7 p.m. tip.

--FightBlueFight--