Last-Minute Comeback Guides Marian to CL Tournament Title

Crossroads League Championships Central

INDIANAPOLIS - Playing in front of a raucous crowd in the PE Center on Monday night, the Marian women's basketball team showed a flair for the dramatic in the waning moments, taking the final lead of the night with 90 seconds to play, as Taylor Double buried a three-pointer to help the Knights close out Saint Francis on a 9-0 run, clinching the Crossroads Leauge Tournament Championship 72-65. Marian is a commanding 29-2 on the year following the championship game win.

Marian played from behind early in the first quarter, as the Cougars mirrored the Knights' season-long defensive identity with a physical first quarter, jumping out on top 5-0 in the first 90 seconds. Abbey McNally settled the Knights into the game with a three-point play, sparking an 8-0 run that broke through the Saint Francis defense. The Cougars would rock back in front, solidifying a lead with a three-point play of their own, leading to the visitors taking a 17-14 edge after one quarter. 

The Knights would answer the first quarter deficit with a ]strong start to the second quarter, going through Abbey McNally. The senior scored three quick points, while a Kenna Kirby three-pointer would give Marian a narrow 20-19 lead. Kirby's three came with 7:10 to play in the first half, but the big shot would give Marian their last edge of the period, as Saint Francis answered over a minute later with a Cali Gregory three-pointer. The game went back and forth after Gregory's three ball, as Marian would match the Cougars' next five scores, keeping the contest a one-possession game. Samiayh Stout would give Saint Francis the final lead of the first half in the closing seconds, as both Kiley McNally and her sister Abbey were unable to replicate a score on Marian's final offensive possession, ending the half with the Knights trailing 32-30.

Following the halftime intermission, Saint Francis came out dialed in, putting Marian in a deeper hole as their lead grew to eight in the first 2:25 of the third quarter. The Knights missed their first three shots of the quarter, not settling in until Madisyn Bailey was able to turn a corner and sink a layup. Bailey's layup quickly helped Marian cut the lead to four, as Kiley McNally made consecutive layups, but another offensive lapse allowed the Cougars to build a lead, with the road team taking the game's only double-digit lead.

Marian was forced to use a timeout to try and lock back in, doing so methodically as Abbey McNally scored baskets on two of three possessions after the Cougars went on top 48-38. McNally would go on to score Marian's final eight points in the third quarter, pushing her team back within six as the Knights trailed 52-46 entering the final period. 

With 10 minutes to go in their Crossroads League season, Marian turned to their sharpest-shooter in the last month, running the offense primarily through Taylor Double. Double buried a two trifectas to open Marian's fourth quarter scoring, heating up as she was able to cut the lead down to three points. Saint Francis would extend the margin to five after the second deep shot, but strong play from Kiley McNally and Madisyn Bailey willed the Knights within a point. 

With Marian having cut the lead to one, Saint Francis made one final push to try to preserve the lead, getting a three-point play from Izzy Gizzi and a three-pointer from Gregory to push back in front by five at a 63-58 count. Marian would stay collected as the deficit mounted, getting a key three-point play of their own from Kennedy Coleman, while a bucket from Taylor Double with 2:46 remaining brought the game to a level 63-63 tie. 

The Knights and Cougars would trade baskets to bring the game to 65-65, and Marian was given the opportunity to take a lead after Abbey McNally snared a rebound following Renna Schwieterman's miss. With exactly 90 seconds remaining, Taylor Double pulled up and buried her third three-pointer of the fourth quarter, pushing Marian back in front for the first time since the second quarter, giving her team a 68-65 lead. The shot electrified the PE Center, and following a Cougar timeout, Kiley McNally fed off the crowd, getting a steal against Gizzi to give Marian a chance to burn the clock.

Madisyn Bailey was the benefactor of the McNally steal, as she drew a foul with 33 seconds left, sinking both foul shots to extend the lead to five. Saint Francis would use a timeout to advance the ball, but on the inbounds pass, Marian sealed the game, as Kenna Kirby swiped the ball and raced to the other end for a layup, punctuating the Knights' game-clinching 9-0 run to seal the Knights' CL Tournament Championship 72-65. 

Marian's championship is their sixth in program history, and marks the fifth time in program history that the team has won both the Crossroads League Regular Season and Tournament titles in the same season.

Taylor Double was Marian's hero in their championship comeback, scoring 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, which included her 3-3 marksmanship from downtown in the last stanza. Abbey McNally would finish the game with her 18th double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 26 points in addition to grabbing 13 rebounds. McNally added one assist, one block, and three steals to her final numbers. Madisyn Bailey scored 12 points in the win, and Kenna Kirby had seven points, four assists, and two steals for the Knights.

With both Crossroads League titles captured, the Knights have earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, where the team will host the NAIA First and Second Round games. It will be the sixth time in program history that the Knights have hosted the First and Second Round.

Marian's First Round game will tip at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, and the Knights will learn their NAIA opponent on Thursday, March 5, during the NAIA Selection Show. The show airs at 8:00 p.m. on YouTube.

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