HUNTINGTON, Indiana - The Marian College women's basketball team traveled to Huntington University on Wednesday night for a key Mid-Central College Conference matchup with the No. 14-ranked Foresters at the Merillat Complex.

 

The Knights were unable to fend off a late Huntington rally as the Foresters' only lead of the night led them to a 57-55 home victory. The Knights fell to 16-5 overall and 4-4 in the MCC.

 

Marian College jumped out quickly on the Foresters as the relentless pressure defense of the Knights was too much for Huntington to handle early on. The Knights eventually pushed forward to a 13-point lead, their biggest of the night, with 7:26 remaining in the half.

 

However, the Foresters clawed their way back into the ballgame and went into the locker room at halftime down by only four, 36-32. The Knights shot 50 percent (14-for-28) in the first half and held the Foresters to just 35 percent (10-for-29) from the field. The Knights, however, were outpaced at the free throw line, 12-6, in the first frame.

 

The Knights came out of the locker room flat and struggled to recover from their early struggles in the second frame. They were able to maintain their lead until the final five minutes when Huntington tied the score and took its first lead with 4:41 remaining. The game would be tied four more times, but the Knights could not get over the hump to retake the lead.

 

A jumper by junior Megan Egenolf tied the score 55-55 with 31.8 seconds remaining and it looked as if the Knights had seized the momentum. It looked as if the Knights had made the defensive stand and were going to get the rebound for the final shot, but a loose ball foul with 3.8 seconds remaining gave the Foresters two shots from the charity stripe. The shots were knocked down and No. 14-ranked Huntington escaped its own gym with a 57-55 victory.

 

The Knights outrebounded the Foresters, 48-34, but shot just 25 percent (6-for-24) in the second half.

 

Junior Megan Egenolf (Plainfield, Indiana/Plainfield) led the Knights with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting including two huge three-point baskets. She also had three assists and four rebounds.

 

Senior Jessica Carr (New Castle, Indiana/New Castle) tallied her fifth double-double of the season after she scored 12 points and hauled down a game- and career-high 16 rebounds. It was her 13th career double-double. Junior Molly Lauck (Greenwood, Indiana/Center Grove) just missed a double-double as she scored eight points and hauled in 11 boards.

 

Fifth-year senior Whitney Frame (Lynn, Indiana/Randolph Southern) scored six points and handed out a career-high six assists for the Knights.

 

The Knights stay on the road to open the second half of the MCC season when they head to a tough Spring Arbor University on Saturday afternoon. The Knights defeated SAU earlier this season at the Physical Education Center, 62-58. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.