THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 105-97 North Central (OT)
• Venue: MBU Gymnasium
• Attendance: 211
• Record: Sabercats are now 2-1
• Next Game for MBU: Dec. 2 at 5 p.m. at Faith Baptist

THE LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A career night from Micah Shepard and a standout overtime performance from Jonathan Book helped the Sabercats to a thrilling and record-setting win tonight.

For the first time in program history, MBU broke the 100-point mark in back-to-back games. Shepard did his part with a career-high 38 points.**

THE STORY

Out of the gate, the Sabercats were the better team. Book and Shepard both knocked shots down to give MBU a 12-9 lead. 

North Central responded positively with a 10-3 run, and the two teams stayed within 10 points of each other throughout the rest of the half. MBU made the most of their chances. As a team, they shot 47.2 percent from the field while going 46.2 percent from downtown.

Shepard got his shot back on track with a 15-point showing in the first half, including 9 points from beyond the arc. 

At halftime, MBU trailed by a narrow 4 points and were very much in the game: 44-48.

MBU showed good patience with their shooting in the early stages of the second half, as they upped their field-goal percentage to above 50 for the night.

The second half was a back-and-forth battle, and the lead ultimately changed hands 10 times in the game.

MBU had 2 contributors in double figures: Shepard matched his first-half display with another 17 points in the second act, and David Lerma joined Shepard in double figures with 10 points of his own.

The Home Stretch

The Shepard-Lerma duo joined forces with a well-balanced MBU offense, and the Sabercats kept a narrow lead for the better part of the second half. With 2:00 left on the clock, the Rams' Riley Loukinen gave NCU their first significant lead of the second half with a 3-point jumper. 

Shepard rose to the high-stakes occasion to tie his career-high. A trademark 3-pointer from the senior brought him to 32 points on the night and the Sabercats had a 1-point lead.

After 3 points from North Central, Book had a crucial finish to tie the game at 90. The junior tied it up with a go-to drive and subsequent layup with 14 seconds left.

RJ Medina almost won the game in spectacular fashion after NCU missed their next shot. The sophomore's three-quarter-court heave from in front of the NCU bench drilled the rim. Overtime was next.

Enter Book, who was responsible for the Sabercats' first 6 points of a nervy overtime period. Book kept MBU in front, and a clutch 3-point play from Medina gave Maranatha a comfortable 9-point lead with just over 30 seconds left.

Fittingly, a pair of free throws from Shepard put the finishing touches on the win. The 2 shots moved his overtime total to 6 points - a perfect 6 for 6 from the charity stripe.

THE SOUND BITE

"We played a great team tonight," said Coach Joel Borchardt. "Coach High and his team are great opponents. I want to give a lot of credit to our guys - we came out and fought and played one of the best games I've seen here at Maranatha. Micah Shepard, David Lerma, and Jonathan Book all had great games, and I'm excited to see how we do moving forward. It's about the team, and I'm looking forward to seeing where we go from here."

THE NUMBERS

This was the first time in program history that the Sabercats posted consecutive 100-point games.*

Shepard finished with 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Shepard's 38-point mark is tied for 3rd-highest in program history.

Book and Lerma finished with 18 points each. This was Lerma's third straight game in double figures.

With the win, the Sabercats now lead the all-time series, 8-6.

THE CALENDAR

The Sabercats will travel to Faith Baptist Bible College Saturday evening. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 5 p.m. Catch the details at mbusabercats.com/composite.

**Originally, Shepard was credited with 40 points. It was brought to the attention of MBU Athletics that, due to a statistical error, Shepard only recorded 38 points. After reviewing the official book and game film, the correction was made. The error-reporter's name? Micah Shepard. MBU Athletics thanks Shepard for maintaining the integrity of the record books.

*Records date back to 1972 and may be incomplete. If you find an error or an omission, contact the Athletic Department at (920) 206-2379. All corrections require official documentation.