Photo by Sam Thiel Marshall’s Bryce Lance goes in for the layup during their game against St. Peter on Saturday.

MARSHALL – The Marshall boys basketball team opened its season on Saturday on its home floor with a matchup against St. Peter in the Big South Showcase. In a back-and-forth affair, the Tigers were able to use a push in the middle of the second half to earn an 87-72 victory over the Saints.

Marshall coach Travis Carroll said overall the team played hard but they weren’t able to get into the rhythm they wanted on the both ends of the floor.

“The kids played hard; offensively when we didn’t turn the basketball over we got some good looks but we had quite a few turnovers on offense,” Carroll said. “We were a little bit out of control on both offense and defense and we definitely got out of position on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor at times. St. Peter definitely took advantage of those situations when we weren’t supposed to be.”

The Saints were able to get out to a strong start, holding a 7-2 lead in the game’s opening minutes before a 3-pointer from Matt Hmielewski cut it to 7-5. St. Peter then went on an 8-2 run to take a 15-7 lead, but a pair of 3-pointers from Noah Peutz and Bryce Lance sparked a Tigers spurt to tie things back up at 17-17.

The two teams then traded points for the majority of the half before St. Peter took a 28-23 lead near the midway mark of the first half. Marshall wouldn’t be deterred, however, answering right back with an 8-2 run of its own to take the lead at 31-30 with 3:44 left. More points were traded the rest of the way in the opening half as the Tigers held a slim 41-39 advantage going into the locker rooms.

Carroll said their biggest adjustment going into halftime was trying to return to what they’ve worked on the first few weeks of practice.

“Just trying to get back to what we’ve been working on for three weeks in practice. We kind of went out here and kind of didn’t really carry over what we’ve been working on,” Carroll said. “I thought we were very fortunate to be ahead at halftime because I thought St. Peter probably outplayed us most of the first half.”

Marshall was able to add to its lead to start the second half, taking a 51-45 advantage, but St. Peter cut the deficit to just two at 58-56 with 10:45 left. The physicality shown from both teams would start to turn into fouls and trips to the free-throw line. Marshall would continue to hold a slim lead throughout the majority of the half before a 3-pointer from Matt Onken gave the Tigers their first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 73-62 with five minutes remaining.

The two teams then traded points the rest of the way, but Marshall held on for the 87-72 victory.

Onken led the way for the Tigers with 17 points while Lance, Peutz and Cameron Allex each added 14 and Hmielewski had 11. Bryce Paulsen led in assists with six while Onken led in rebounds with nine.

Onken said their key on offense was getting out in transition and finding the open teammate.

“Pushing in transition and getting easy looks, just sharing the ball,” Onken said. “That’s really what happened.”

Marshall (1-0) will face Redwood Valley on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. Carroll said they’ve got a lot to work on as they get their season underway, including valuing the basketball and strengthening their defensive efforts.

“We’ve got a lot to work on,” Carroll said. “A lot of work with valuing the basketball and defensively understanding our assignments and working together as a unit on both ends of the floor.”

Marshall 87, St. Peter 72

St. Peter 39 33 – 72

Marshall 41 46 ­- 87

SCORING: Marshall (Onken 7-9, 2-4 17; Lance 3-7, 7-8 14; Peutz 5-11, 3-8 14; Allex 7-9, 0-0 14; Hmielewski 3-9, 3-5 11; Paulsen 2-7, 1-2 5; Aufenthie 1-1, 2-2 5; Steinbach 2-4, 0-0 4).

REBOUNDS: Marshall 28 (Onken 9; Steinbach 5; Peutz, Allex 4).

ASSISTS: Marshall 16 (Paulsen 6; Lance 3; Hmielewski, Onken, Allex 2).

STEALS: Marshall 6 (Paulsen 3).

BLOCKS: Marshall none.