FOND DU LAC, Wis. – A quick start by Marian University and an ice-cold shooting night for the Lakeland University men's basketball team spelled trouble as the Muskies saw their Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament hopes take a blow with a 77-49 loss Friday night at Sadoff Gymnasium.

Marian dominated virtually from the start, shooting 55.0% and never trailing in earning its second NACC win. The Muskies scored a season low for points, shooting 32.7% in falling to 7-6 overall and 4-5 in the NACC North Division.

With the loss, Lakeland saw its hopes for a home game in the first round of the NACC North Division playoffs dampened. The Muskies will need a win in their final game against Marian Saturday and then help to have a shot at the No. 2 seed, and with a loss could even finish outside the top four positions that will make the postseason.

The Sabres scored the game's first six points and seemed to build the lead continuously throughout the night. Marian led 15-3 just five minutes in, went up 29-9 just past the halfway point of the first half, and led by as many as 23 on the way to a 43-21 halftime lead.

Marian's Tyler Gouin starred in the first half, singlehandedly outscoring the Muskies with 22 points, including a three-point play with three seconds left in the half. He made 10 of 12 shots in the first half, and even after a scoreless second half had already inflicted considerable damage.

Lakeland was unable to make any headway in the second half, either. The Muskies got as close as 20 a few minutes out of the halftime break after a jumper by Aiden Polzin (Fr.-Clintonville, Wis.), but the Sabres continued to pull further away and were ahead 61-32 after a David Britton three-pointer with 10:50 left. Lakeland got no closer than 26 the rest of the way and Marian led by as many as 38 points in the rout.

The Muskies' 49 points were 13 below their previous season low and more than 39 points below the team's season average of 88.5 per game coming in. Lakeland had scored over 100 points in three of its previous four games, including 108 three nights earlier in a win at Finlandia (Mich.) University.

The Muskies made 17 of 52 shots from the field and also had a season-worst night from three-point range, hitting 2 of 24 (8.3%). Lakeland had made at least 10 three-pointers in 11 of its previous 13 games.

Trenton Nickel (Sr.-Kiel, Wis.) led Lakeland with nine points while Caleb Fuller (Fr.-Oshkosh, Wis.) added a season-high seven points plus three rebounds off the bench in the second half. Polzin and Matt Sechman (Jr.-Chicago, Ill.) led the team with five rebounds each and Jequan Pegeese (Sr.-Beloit, Wis.) added four assists.

Along with Gouin's 22 points, Britton scored 19 for the Sabres, who made 33 of 60 shots, including 9 of 21 from three-point range (42.9%). Dylan Gmeiner also added 12 points off the bench. Marian also outrebounded Lakeland 38-27 with Scott Paulus pulling down a game-best eight boards.

The Muskies will face the Sabres one more time Saturday night at 5 p.m. in Fond du Lac for both teams' regular season finale.