FOND DU LAC, WIS.—The Illinois Institute of Technology men's basketball team entered Wednesday's bout at Marian University having won four of their last five contests, and reigning d3hoops.com Team of the Week selection Max Hisatake played a role in that. The Scarlet Hawks received production from many players thanks to the return of Miles Curry and Otis Reale from injury, but it didn't result in a victory as Marian held onto a 70-64 win over IIT.

The Scarlet Hawks fall to 5-9, 3-6 NACC while Marian improves to 3-11, 2-7 NACC.

Hisatake, who registered his 11th double double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards against the Sabres, was among four Scarlet Hawks to eclipse double figures in the contest. Milos Dugalic led all scorers with 18 points for IIT, which included a pair of three-pointers within the final 1:20 of the contest to get his team within three points on both occasions. Ahmad Muhammad registered 14 points while Curry made his return to the lineup with a 12-point effort along with five rebounds after he missed the previous two contests. Reale, who sat the previous three contests, hit 4-of-5 free throws en route to a six-point game.

The Sabres distributed the ball well as they accumulated 17 assists and received scoring from 10-of-11 players that saw the floor. Blake Pedrin paced Marian with 17 points off 4-of-7 shooting, which commanded his team's 21-43 (.488) figure compared to IIT's 21-49 (.429) mark. 

Hisatake and Dugalic had Marian on their toes from the get-go as their six points apiece generated a 14-3 IIT run over the opening 7:00 of the contest. The Sabres came back and tied the contest on a pair of occasions at 16-16 and 22-22, but couldn't gain an edge as IIT went into the locker room with a 30-25 lead. 

That lead was short-lived as Marian held Hisatake to zero points and three rebounds over the final 20:00, which helped them outscore IIT 45-34 en route to a 70-64 victory. Hisatake, who finished the game with three blocks and three assists, also committed three fouls in the second half.

The Scarlet Hawks will return to the Keating Sports Center on Saturday, January 18 against Concordia Chicago at 2:00 p.m.