THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 77-62 Dayspring
• Location: Lake Zurich, Ill.
• Attendance: 81
• Record: Sabercats are now 7-4
• Next Game for MBU: Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at Moody Bible

THE LEAD

LAKE ZURICH, Ill. -- Maranatha overcame a slow first half to beat Dayspring Bible College for the second time this season, winning 77-62 tonight in Northern Illinois.

Tonight's game was the tenth time the two teams have tangled. Maranatha celebrated their ninth win in the all-time series.

THE STORY

The Sabercats hit the ground running with an 11-0 run, but they allowed Dayspring back into the game and held just a 1-point lead (38-37) going into the halftime break.

After a lethargic end to the opening half, the Sabercats found their groove in the second half, and steadily pulled away to seal the win. MBU won the second half by 14 points en route to a convincing 15-point win over the Eagles.

Maranatha shot 48 percent from the field on the night and out-rebounded the Eagles, 55-31. Rob Sonnenberg scored 8 points and single-handedly hauled in 14 rebounds, which was the highest rebounding mark of his career.

Micah Shepard led the scoring for Maranatha with 13. David Lerma pitched in a dozen points and RJ Medina added 10.

THE SOUND BITE

"Our guys played very well in the second half," said head coach Keith Salscheider after the game. "We started off with a lead, but we got complacent as a team, and we need to work on finding our identity as a unit. We went on some runs that were pretty good, and we got some good things going there, but we still have a good ways to go. We have Moody on Thursday, and they'll be a tough regional opponent, so we're looking for a good game there.

THE CALENDAR

The Sabercats will hit the road again to face Moody Bible Thursday at 7 p.m. in a highly-anticipated rematch of the 2016-17 North Region Championship Game. Catch the details at mbusabercats.com/composite.