FOND DU LAC, Wis.-Marian men's basketball (3-9, 2-5 NACC) defeated conference rival Lakeland University in convincing fashion by a final score of 84-74.

The Sabres pounced on the Muskies early in the first half connecting on their first three attempts from the floor as part of a 9-4 forcing a Lakeland timeout. Marian would not surrender the lead for the remainder of the half as the Sabre defense shut down the Muskie offense and the Sabres would take a 39-33 lead into the break.

The Muskies fought back to open the second half, however, as they were able to chip away at the Marian lead. A Muskie layup would cut the lead to one at 46-45 resulting in a Sabre timeout with 16:40 in regulation. Throughout the next five minutes, the Sabre lead would grow no greater than four with the Muskies tying the game at 55 with 11:20 left in regulation.

This would be as close as Lakeland could manage, however, as the Sabres made back-to-back three-pointers to extend their lead to six.  The Sabres rode that momentum to build their lead out to 74-59 with the final eventually settling at 84-74.

Four of the five Sabre starters recorded double-digit points on the day with junior Alex Manhardt leading the way with 23. Manhardt also collected 10 rebounds on the day recording his second double-double on the season. Freshman Kelvin Jones added 18 points and 6 assists.

Marian hits the road for a 4:15 p.m. tip at Concordia Chicago Saturday, Jan. 7.

--FightBlueFight--