INDIANAPOLIS — Marian men’s basketball fell to No. 24 Taylor University 68-42 on Saturday afternoon, extending its losing streak and continuing a difficult stretch in Crossroads League play.

The loss drops the Knights to 5-19 overall and 2-12 in conference play, where they remain in 10th place in the standings.

Taylor set the tone early, capitalizing on a turnover in the opening possession to build a quick 7-2 lead. Marian saw early contributions from Aidan

Franks and Josiah Gustin, but struggled to generate consistent offense against the Trojans’ defensive pressure.

Taylor gradually extended its lead throughout the first half, pushing the margin to nine midway through the period. Marian responded with baskets from Luke Carroll and Dylan Moles to cut the deficit to seven with six minutes remaining.

A late 3-pointer from Ron Rutland III brought the Knights closer, but Marian went cold to close the half. Taylor used an 8-0 run heading into the break to take a 35-21 lead.

The Trojans carried that momentum into the second half. After Franks scored Marian’s first basket, Taylor responded with a decisive 17-2 run over five minutes. The stretch, fueled by multiple 3-pointers and strong finishes inside, extended the lead to 57-27 with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Marian showed energy late and outscored Taylor over the final 10 minutes, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as the Trojans secured the win.

Dylan Moles and Aaron Humphrey Jr. led Marian with eight points each. Humphrey added nine rebounds, while Gustin recorded 12 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass.

As a team, Marian shot 27.4% from the field and committed 15 turnovers.

The Knights will look to regroup on the road Wednesday when they face No. 1 Grace College in their next matchup.