INDIANAPOLIS – For the eighth straight season, the Marian women’s basketball team will finish their season in Sioux City, Iowa, as the Knights ran away with the NAIA Opening Round Championship downing Rio Grande 99-78. Marian’s second NAIA Opening Round Championship in the last two seasons gives them an overall record of 29-4 on the year.
Compared to Friday’s super sprint pace Saturday’s game started out slow and methodical, with Rio Grande controlling the tempo in the first three minutes taking an 8-4 lead. Marian’s deficit in the quarter grew to eight, but a bucket from Ella Collier sparked a rally cry, with Abby Downard creating offense with a pair of steals. The senior ignited a 9-0 sprint puncuated by a Collier trifecta, helping Marian take a 13-12 lead. The Knights kept in control over the final minutes, with the backcourt duo leading Marian to a 23-17 lead after one quarter.
Aliyah Evans helped engineer the offense to start the second quarter as the sophomore made the most of her early minutes, throwing an alley-oop to Imani Guy which went in for a three-point play. The lead swelled to 15 points as Marian embarked on an 8-0, using stellar defense to out-pace Rio Grande 13-2 in a 4:30 stretch during the period. The Knights continued to hold their pace as Shanyce Makuei made plays driving to the rim, and drained an open corner three pushing the lead to 23 points. The lead held at 23 at halftime with Marian on top 55-32. as the home team led by as Marian as 26 in the first two quarters.
Guy and Downard carried Marian through the first half combining for 31 points, as Marian out-scored Rio Grande 32-15 in the second quarter. Marian was a red-hot 80 percent from the floor in their dominant second quarter, and was a perfect 17-17 from the foul line in the half.
Rio Grande came out hungry to start the second half, holding Marian scoreless for the first three minutes of the quarter while the RedStorm went on a 6-0 run. A layup from Evans calmed the Knights, and a pair of fast break layups from Collier got the Knights back in system. Strong defense continued to lead to points as Marian forced four turnovers and a Rio drought of 1-10 from the field over six minutes. The lead grew to as many as 30 in the period, but Rio was able to go on a 9-0 run in the final 90 seconds, cutting Marian’s lead to 21 going into the fourth quarter.
Marian got a quick stop to start the fourth quarter, and regained control with a pair of Collier free throws in the first 30 seconds of the quarter. Downard got a steal and fast break layup pushing Marian back in front by 25 points, as the game began to get out of reach for any comeback. Five unanswered points from Collier gave Marian a 90-64 lead with 5:28 remaining, and capitalized on her big night with 3:33 remaining by setting a career-high 30 points with her fourth triple. After the Collier three-pointer Marian began to empty the bench, as the reserves held their water in the waning minutes closing the 99-78 victory.
Marian shot a commanding 59.4 percent from the field, knocking in 30 of 32 free throw attempts in the win. Collier led the Knights in scoring, setting a new career-high with 30 points, breaking her previous mark set in 2021 at St. Francis. The sophomore scored 21 of her 30 in the second half, making 10 free throws. Guy finished with 23 points and eight rebounds, while the third leg of Marian’s triple threat Downard put in 20 points and eight assists in her final game on John Grimes Court. Makuei led the Marian bench with 15 points on a 6-12 shooting night.
The Knights will depart for Sioux City early next week, playing their first game in the Tyson Events Center on Friday, March 18 against Clarke University.
Recent Comments