SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Marian University men's basketball team improved to 7-5 on the season with a 64-52 victory over Ohio Dominican University at the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic on the campus of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio on Tuesday night.

The Knights moved into the tournament title game against host Wittenberg on Wednesday afternoon.

The teams traded buckets to open the game before the Knights, with the score 7-7, went on an 8-0 run to open a 15-7 lead with 12:35 remaining in the first half. The Panthers were able to cut the lead to three, 19-16, with 6:04 to go in the half before a quick 10-0 run that spanned less than two minutes pushed the lead to 13, 29-16, with 4:08 to go in the frame.

A 7-0 ODU run cut it back to six, 29-23, with 1:21 to go, but the Knights held on and took a six-point lead, 31-25, into the locker room.

The teams were evenly matched in the first half, but the Knights out-shot the Panthers. They shot 39 percent (10-for-26), while the Panthers shot 33 percent (9-for-27).

Both teams were scoring at will to open the second half as the Knights were unable to pull away until the 4:11 mark. They pushed the lead to nine, 53-44, before opening a 14-point lead, 64-50, with just 46 seconds to go. The Panthers scored the final bucket as the Knights cruised to a 12-point win, 64-52.

Junior Jordan Tucker (Kirklin, Ind./Clinton Central) led three Knights in double figures with 15 points and also added six rebounds. Junior Brandon Malone (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) added 13 points, while freshman Mac Fiely (Greenville, Ohio/Greenville) tallied 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. Freshman Matt Dickerson (Evansville, Ind./Mater Dei) added a team-high eight rebounds for the Knights.

Marian University will take on Wittenberg at 7 p.m. for the tournament title in Springfield, Ohio. Live stats are available at the home of Wittenberg University Athletics.