HUNTINGTON, Ind. - The sixth-seeded Marian University women's basketball team's 2011-12 season came to a close at third-seeded Huntington University on Tuesday night as the Foresters held off the Knights in a 69-65 victory in the first round of the Mid-Central College Conference Tournament.

The Knights close the campaign with an 18-10 overall record and finished tied for fourth in league play with a 10-8 mark. The Foresters improved to 20-9 overall in 2011-12.

"Tonight we saw our limitations under the basket," said head coach Todd Bacon. "We need to upgrade our physical presence in the interior and that is something we are looking to do in the off-season."

Senior Emily Smithson led four Knights in double figures with a team-high 14 points, while junior Adrienne Sahm added 13 points. Juniors Natalie Robinson and Natasha Marshall added 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Marshall had a game-high four assists.

Junior Rachel Turk grabbed a game-high nine boards, while junior Whitley Emerson finished with just four points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.

Neither team shot particularly well in the first half as MU shot 39 percent (10-for-26) and Huntington shot 32 percent (10-for-31), but the difference came at the free throw line as HU got to the stripe 13 times and converted seven. The Knights only got to the line two times and converted both. The Foresters were able to take a 28-24 lead into the locker room.

The second half was much different as the KNights blistered the net. They hit at a 63 percent (15-for-24) clip and went 4-for-9 from three-point range, but got to the charity stripe just 10 times. HU shot 42 percent (11-for-26) from the field, but, again, the difference was at the line as the Foresters went 17-for-23 to finish 24-for-36. HU's free throws made doubled the number of attempts (12) the Knights earned.

MU out-rebounded the Foresters by a 42-31 margin, but suffered a 14-10 disadvantage on the offensive glass. MU also turned the ball over 21 times to the tune of 17 HU points.

"We also need to improve our perimeter passing and shooting," said Bacon. "We need to have a better presence on the perimeter and convert our open looks. I think we can do this with a commitment from our returners and a solid recruiting class."

The Knights have now won at least 18 games in seven of head coach Todd Bacon's nine seasons at the helm of the program. They have qualified for the MCC Tournament in all of his nine seasons and are 161-103 under his tutelage over nine seasons with the program's first NAIA tournament berth coming in 2010-11.