Marian University men’s basketball (17-10, 11-7 NACC) upset top-seeded MSOE 85-74 in the NACC Tournament semifinals, powered by a strong second half. 
 

• Freshman Marvin Haslett got the Sabres rolling early, scoring the first five points for Marian.
• Neither team gained much separation, with seven lead changes and five ties in the first 10 minutes. 
• Senior Alex Vassilakis’ second three of the night put Marian ahead 19-18 with 10:06 remaining in the first half. 
• MSOE used a 9-2 run to gain some separation on Marian and later led by as many as 10 points on a layup by Carson Cordelli with 3:51 remaining.
• NACC Player of the Year Mason Dopirak hit a corner three to beat the buzzer as the Raiders took a 44-36 lead into halftime. Dopirak finished the half with 18 points. 
• Junior Andrew Ayeni paced the Sabres with 12 points and six rebounds in the first half. 
• The Raiders’ defense stifled Marian to start the second half, forcing an 0-for-9 stretch from the field. Senior Derek Lindert ended the drought with two free throws to make it 48-38 with 16:22 remaining. 
• One play later, Vassilakis forced an MSOE turnover and knocked down a three-pointer on the other end to cut the deficit to single digits. 
• A 15-2 Marian run, highlighted by back-to-back Ayeni and-one layups, evened the game at 50-50. 
• A deep Lindert three gave the Sabres their first lead of the second half, as MSOE remained scoreless for more than four minutes.  
• After being scoreless in the first half, Lindert erupted for 18 points, including four three-pointers, with four minutes left, helping Marian hold a 72-64 lead. 
• Dopirak answered with a three to cut Marian’s lead to five with three minutes left. 
• Haslett made it 74-69 on a dribble-drive layup through contact. Vassilakis extended the lead on the next possession with a second-chance tip-in. 
• Marian played strong defense in the final minutes, holding MSOE to just two made shots in their final six attempts. 
• Marian put the game away at the free-throw line, punching their ticket to the NACC Championship Game on Saturday. 

• With the win, Marian halted the Raiders’ ten-game winning streak, which started at Fond du Lac in overtime on January 21. 
• The Sabres dominated the second half, outscoring MSOE 49-30 while shooting 6-of-11 from three and converting 15 free throws. 
• Chase Cummings, MSOE’s second-best three-point shooter at 41%, was held to just 1-of-10 from three by Marian.
• Dopirak led the Raiders with 31 points and eight rebounds on 12-of-17 shooting, going 5-of-7 from three-point range. 
• Marian and MSOE met for the 73rd time, with Marian holding a 46-27 all-time advantage. The win snapped a four-game losing streak to MSOE. 
• The Sabres advance to the NACC Championship Game for the first time since 2022, where they will face third-seeded Aurora, who defeated St. Norbert 65-59 in the semifinals. 

	Junior Andrew Ayeni contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, while adding four steals.
	Senior Derek Lindert poured in all 21 of his points in the second half, including four threes.
	Senior Alex Vassilakis pitched in 15 points and six rebounds.