LEAD

ANKENY, Iowa  -- It was gritty and nervy, but the Sabercats have secured a 101-92 double-overtime win over Calvary to start the Faith Christmas Classic.

Aaron Sanders and Stephen Wilkerson both logged 23 points and Taylor Ball added 18 as the Sabercats took home their second North Region win of the season.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 101-92 Calvary (2Ot)
• Venue: Nettleton Center, Faith Baptist Bible College
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Event: Faith Christmas Classic
• Attendance: 83
• Records: MBU (2-1), CU (0-6)

STORY

Once again, Maranatha didn't shoot the ball up to their standards, but they found a way to win regardless. Sanders led the Sabercats with 13 first-half points and Wilkerson pitched in nine, leading a first-half performance close to what the Sabercats were hoping for. Maranatha shot 42.4 percent from the floor and going into halftime, they held a 41-36 lead.

The Sabercats built an early second-half lead and held the Warriors off for the most part. Calvary was spirited but rendered relatively harmless by Zeke Steuerwald, Jed Mayhak, and the rest of the Sabercats' defense. But Calvary's pressure finally paid off inside the final few minutes, as the Warriors and the Sabercats traded the lead as the clock wound down. The Sabercats eventually needed to rely on an Aaron Sanders buzzer-beating three-pointer to tie the game and send it to the Sabercats' recent nemesis: overtime.

It would end up taking 10 minutes to separate the two teams, as they stayed tied after the first overtime period. Two late free throws from Sanders tied the game up at 89 apiece to force double OT.

The scoring in the second overtime period was handled exclusively by Wilkerson and Emmaus transfer Austin Brammer. Brammer's three-pointer at the three-minute mark gave the Sabercats a lift, and they would close out the eight-point win from the free-throw line. In the second overtime, the Sabercats held the Warriors to shooting just 1-13 from the field, as the Blue and Gold outlasted the Warriors when it was all said and done.

At the end of 60 hard-fought North Region minutes, the Sabercats had secured their second win of the 2020-21 season.

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Maranatha Starters: 2- Ball, 3- Mayhak, 4- Steuerwald, 5- Sanders, 23- Wilkerson

SOUND BITE

"What a way to win," said Coach Joel Borchardt after the game. "It was a roller coaster there at the end, but our guys rallied and found a way to win - all credit to them. We went over some of those situations in practice and they executed the way they needed to win. I know we're still a much better team than we showed tonight. Coach Matt Sanders has done a great job with his team and he made us really uncomfortable at the end, but we're really proud of our guys for finishing it out and we're excited to move forward from here."

STATS

• Sanders: 24 PTS (ties career high), 8 REB, 5 AST
• Wilkerson: 24 PTS, 14 REB (ties career high)
• Ball: 18 PTS, 7 REB
• Last time: The Sabercats win 89-65 in the 2017-18 season
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series 1-0

OPPONENTS

• Calvary competes with the Sabercats for the NCCAA North Region
• Calvary also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference

NEXT

The Sabercats will stay in Ankeny to play Faith Baptist tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.