Head coach John Grimes led the Knights to a victory in the final men's basketball home game as Marian College.

INDIANAPOLIS - With Marian College changing to Marian University in just 134 days, there are going to be a bunch of final moments over the next couple of months. However, few will be as historic as what took place on Tuesday night.

 

The Marian College men's basketball team, in its 54th season, won its 822nd and final home game as Marian College, 61-60, over Goshen College at the Physical Education Center.

 

The win snapped a five-game losing skid and the Knights improved to 11-14 on the campaign and 2-13 in Mid-Central College Conference play.

 

However, the game did not end without high drama.

 

With the Knights leading by seven, 60-53, and just 2:32 remaining, Goshen went on a 6-1 run to cut the lead to two, 61-59, with 1:21 to go. Missed free throws at both ends gave Goshen one last chance with just one second remaining.

 

An open look from the corner rattled around on the rim, but refused to fall for the Maple Leafs as the buzzer sounded to give the Knights the 61-60 win.

 

It is the second straight season that the matchup between Goshen and Marian College in Indianapolis was decided on a last second shot.

 

The Knights jumped out to an early 15-6 lead over the first 8:48 of the first half. They pushed the lead to as high as 11, 23-12, with 7:31 to go, but Goshen was able to claw back to within three, 25-22, heading into the locker room.

 

The teams battled back and forth over the first 10:57 as the Knights maintained a slight edge before Goshen tied the score, 52-52, with 9:03 remaining in the game. The Knights were able to push the lead back to seven before Goshen fought back to set the stage for the dramatic ending.

 

The key statistics for the Knights were just nine turnovers on the evening and they capitalized on 18 Goshen turnovers to the tune of 18 points. The Knights were outrebounded, 47-32, but narrowly outshot the Maple Leafs, 37 to 35 percent, for the game.

 

Sophomore Jordan Tucker (Kirklin, Indiana/Clinton Central) led two Knights in double figures with 13 points. Freshman Alex Sylvester (Indianapolis/Perry Meridian) tallied 12 points while sophomore Matt Allee (Greenwood, Indiana/Greenwood) just missed a double-double with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

 

Freshman Jameson Wheeler (Plainfield, Indiana/Plainfield) dished out a game-high seven assists while sophomore Brandon Malone (Indianapolis/North Central) also added eight points, six rebounds, and four assists.

 

The Knights close out the 2008-09 campaign with their final game as Marian College when they travel to Huntington University on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m., with Brad Wochomurka calling all the action on XL 950 (WXLW) beginning at 2:50 p.m.