FOND DU LAC, Wis. – MSOE men's basketball needed a win to control their own destiny and punch themselves a ticket to the NACC tournament. While it wasn't the prettiest ballgame at times, the Raiders did just that, taking down Marian on the road in the final game of the 2019-20 regular season.

RESULTS
MSOE – 56
Marian – 51

HOW IT HAPPENED
MSOE (13-12, 10-10 NACC) was walking into a possible trap game this afternoon, taking on a Marian (4-21, 3-17 NACC) ballclub that had nothing else to play for except to spoil the Raiders possible postseason trip. The Sabres tried their best to do so, but the Red & White were ready for them. MSOE charged out to a big lead in the first half, outscoring Marian 31-20 in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Raiders shot 44 percent from the field and behind the arc, and once again took advantage of their opponent's turnovers. MSOE scored 16 points off the Sabres 14 turnovers, something that allowed them to weather the second half storm that was still to come. Marian turned the tables in the second half, cutting the Raiders lead to five and limiting them to just six made baskets out of their 29 attempts. The Sabres got within two points with about ten minutes left and within four with just 30 seconds to play, but MSOE held them off and punched their ticket to the postseason.

MSOE STAT TRACKER
Points – Matthew Kirmse (20)
Rebounds – Sammy Linn (9)
Assists – Matthew Kirmse (4)
Steals – Deonte Vanselow & Michael Pitrof (2)
Blocks – Michael Pitrof (1)

WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders will now take on Lakeland on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the NACC tournament. MSOE won the regular season series between the two ballclubs 2-0 with a 95-70 win at home and a 90-79 win in Sheboygan where the contest will be played. The road game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 pm. 

For up-to-the-minute MSOE Raiders news, visit us at www.go-raiders.com. You can also follow the Red & White on Twitter @MSOE_Raiders and @msoe_raiders on Instagram.