No. 5 Marian Secures Season Sweep Over No. 18 Spring Arbor

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. - Backed by Abbey McNally's 12th double-double of the season, the Marian women's basketball rolled past No. 18 Spring Arbor on Wednesday night by a final score of 55-40, logging the team's second consecutive victory. Marian improves to 19-2 on the year and 9-2 in league play, securing a sweep over the Cougars while taking the full head-to-head for league standings. 

Marian started out hot on Wednesday night, getting a basket from both Abbey McNally and Kiley McNally in the first 80 seconds of the game, while a jolt of five Olivia Faust points gave the Knights an early 9-4 edge. Spring Arbor forced tough looks for Marian, which resulted in a two-minute scoring drought, but the Knights would come back to life with a pair of Abbey McNally baskets. Kiley McNally finished off the quarter's scoring with an open layup from Madisyn Bailey, holding the team's lead at five as Marian controlled the board 18-13. 

Spring Arbor challenged Marian in the second quarter after falling behind on its home court, exploiting small cracks in the Knights' armor, going on a 6-2 run in the first three minutes of the period. Slashing the lead to one, the Cougars continued to hound the Knights early in quarter two, but an Abbey McNally steal led to a transition score for Taylor Double, allowing Marian to hold steady. McNally and Eva Fisher ignited a string of scores midway through the quarter, embarking the team on a run of 7-2, pushing the advantage to eight. 

Fisher would add another three points to her scoring totals before the half ended to bring Marian to a team total of 32 points, as the Knights led by as many as 10 in the last two minutes of the period before ultimately going into halftime on top 32-27.

The third quarter rocked back and forth early after halftime, with the Knights and Cougars trading scores and stops. Defense began to take over after an Abbey McNally bucket with 8:25 to play in the period, as the game endured a drought of nearly three mintues before Taylor Double added to Marian's lead. The Knights methodically ran their offense after the Double score, working the clock for key shots, which was evident as Marian ended the low-scoring third quarter on a 6-0 run. Spring Arbor was held scoreless for the final 4:49 of the third quarter, as four turnovers forced by Marian helped the Knights maintain a 44-31 lead after three quarters. 

Leading by 13 points entering the final quarter, Marian let its defense do the talking as they closed out the victory, holding Spring Arbor to just two points in the first six and a half minutes of play in the fourth, as the stretch of scoreless Cougar basketball extended to over 11 minutes of game play. The Knights' strong defensive efforts made up for their offensive shortcomings, as the team struggled to score the basketball in the final stanza, starting the period on an 0-5 start from the floor with a pair of turnovers. Eva Fisher finally stopped the scoreless Marian streak to hold the lead in double figures, and in the last three minutes, buckets from Kenna Kirby and Kennedy Coleman iced away the Knights' 55-40 victory.

Abbey McNally paced the Marian offense with 16 points, recording double-double number 12 as she snared 15 rebounds, 10 alone on the defensive end of the court. Eva Fisher matched her career-high with 12 points off the bench, and Olivia Faust scored nine points. Madisyn Bailey had a balanced game with six points, eight rebounds, and three assists, while Kenna Kirby had a bench-high seven rebounds. 

Marian finishes its two-game road stint on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Goshen College with aspirations of extending its winning streak to three. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

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