Marian University men’s basketball (6-0, 0-0 NACC) led for 26:31 but fell to NCAA Division I opponent San Diego 69-64 in an exhibition for the Sabres. 

The Sabres led as late as 4:14 remaining with a 59-58 advantage before the Toreros went ahead for good with eight unanswered points and 40 ticks left.  The Sabres were able to cut the seven-point deficit down to three at 67-64 but allowed an offensive rebound after two missed free throws with 15 seconds left.  The Toreros took advantage of the second chance to put the final at 69-64. 

Marian had a strong start to the game, scoring the first five points of the game with most of the opening stanza being a one-possession game.  The Toreros led 25-24 before Marian scored eight straight points to lead 32-25.  Marian built its lead to as large as nine points on two occasions and took a 38-31 lead into halftime.  The Sabres shot 53.9 percent from the field and hit four three-pointers on eight looks in the first 20 minutes. 

The Sabres maintained its lead at 48-40 with 16:13 to play before a 13-5 spurt from the Toreros tied the game at 53-53 with 7:54 on the clock.  The Marian defense limited USD to 2-of-15 (.133) shooting from beyond the arc, but the Toreros took advantage of its size shooting 53.9 percent for the game.  USD also outscored Marian 18-8 on second chance points and 38-28 in the paint. 

Three Sabres finished in double-figures led by sophomore Andrew Ayeni who had a team-high 13 points with three boards.  Junior Brandon Adorno chipped in 12 points with four rebounds and three steals, while junior Trey Jenkins chipped in 11 points off the bench and had three steals. 

Marian opens NACC play Wednesday, December 4 traveling to Illinois Tech for a 7 p.m. tip.