February 10, 2022 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Sabercats put it all together in Iowa tonight, getting revenge on Emmaus Bible College with a 78-62 North Region win.

Caleb Moultrie hit the 500 career points mark on the night en route to leading the Sabercats with 20 on the night. Maranatha sent five student-athletes into double digits in the win.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 78-62 Emmaus
• Event: NCCAA North Region Regular Season
• Venue: Pollard Fieldhouse, Emmaus Bible College
• Location: Dubuque, Iowa
• Attendance: -
• Records: MBU (4-17), EBC (6-14) 

STORY

Emmaus started the game with a 6-0 run but that was promptly wiped out by a 23-6 response from Maranatha. Once the Sabercats heated up, the pieces started to fall into place, and they dominated the first half by their shot selection- Maranatha shot at a clip of 51 percent and held Emmaus to just 34.5 percent (including 1-11 from distance) in the first half.

Moultrie was a leader right from the get-go, posting 15 points in the opening 20 minutes. Ethan Cooper made the most of filling a starting role with 10 points and seven rebounds, as the duo led Maranatha into a 44-26 halftime advantage.

It was all going right.

The win was in the forecast once the Sabercats made that opening statement, but it didn't come easy. Emmaus pulled back to within eight points early on, sending an early wake-up call for the Sabercats in the second half. Seven points from Noah Jensen helped the Sabercats reclaim a double-digit lead through the middle stages of the second half, but Emmaus tried to summon another late push. The Eagles frustrated the Sabercats and came back to within six points with just over three minutes on the clock.

That was just what Aaron Sanders was waiting for.

The guard stepped into the moment with two of three consecutive three-pointers to push the Sabercats back out to safety. Tight defending at the other end of the court thwarted the Eagles' charge for good, and the Sabercats finished off a night of hard work, closing out a 16-point North Region win, an evening of the season series with Emmaus, and newfound momentum heading into the weekend.

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Maranatha Starters: 5- Sanders, 15- Davis, 20- Cooper, 21- Moultrie, 24-Herbster // Emmaus starters: 1- Petkau, 11- Patterson, 14- Cerwinske, 22- Harper, 23- Buckner

STATS

• Moultrie: 20 PTS, 5 REB
• Moultrie: Passed 500 career points on the night
• Sanders: 14 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL
• Cooper: 10 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST
• Cooper: Started for the third time this season
• Malachi Herbster: 10 PTS, 4 REB
• Dylan Woodward: 10 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST
• Last time: Emmaus defeated Maranatha 79-60 on November 20
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Emmaus 34-5 

OPPONENTS

• Emmaus competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Emmaus also competes with Maranatha in the NCCAA DII North region
• Emmaus is currently in their best season since 2017-18 when they finished 12-17

NEXT

The Sabercats wrap up their week of North region competition by hosting Moody on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. for a Parents' Day matchup. Details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.