BELOIT, Wis. In a tightly contested match up at Flood Arena, Marian (WI) held off a late surge from Beloit to secure a narrow 51-50 victory. The Buccaneers (0-7, 0-0 MWC) outscored the Sabres (2-3, 0-0 NACC) 30-23 over the final ten minutes to claw their way back. 

Beloit was led by Kaelie Moreno (Yorkville, Ill.), who came off the bench to score a career-high 13 points including four three-pointers. Hailey Johnson (South Milwaukee, Wis.) added 12 points and 8 rebounds, while Angela Donath (Wausau, Wis.) contributed 7 points off the bench. The Bucs' bench was particularly effective, outscoring Marian's reserves 25-9.

Marian built their largest lead of 16 points in the second quarter, but Beloit continued to fight back. The Bucs shot 30% from the field and connected on 9 three-pointers, though struggled from the free throw line at 45.5% (5-11).

Beloit's defense forced 16 Marian turnovers and matched them closely in rebounds (42-44). In the fourth quarter, Beloit cut the deficit to just one point when Johanna McNair (Fishers, Ind.) scored with 4:23 remaining, but couldn't quite complete the comeback.

Despite the loss, Beloit showed marked improvement the Bucs held Marian to just 29.1% shooting from the field and demonstrated resilience by winning both the third (15-16) and fourth (15-7) quarters.

The nail-biting finish came down to the final seconds, with Beloit's McNair attempting a potential game-winning three-pointer that fell short as time expired, leaving the Bucs just one point shy of their first victory of the season.

The Buccaneers take a sizable break for Thanksgiving, not returning to Flood Arena until December 3rd when they open Midwest Conference play. They will host the Vikings of Lawrence University with tip off set for 5:30 pm.