February 18, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats kept it close but lost steam late in their home finale, falling to Finlandia 65-82 on Parents' Day at Maranatha.

This was the final home game for Malachi Herbster and Josh Davis, who both passed the 500-career-points mark recently. Herbster notched a career-high 15 rebounds on the day.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 65-82 Finlandia
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Event: Parents' Day/Seniors' Day
• Attendance: -
• Records: MBU (4-20), FinnU (4-21)

STORY

The first half looked to be flying Finlandia's way when they ran out to an early 14-4 lead, but the Sabercats locked down on defense to stop the bleeding there. Caleb Moultrie connected a triple at the 9:47 mark, finishing off the Sabercats' own 14-3 run, and the rest of the first half was closely contested after the two teams traded the big runs early.

Brayden Cox made a layup with five seconds on the clock, sending the Sabercats into the halftime break with a 32-31 deficit. Moultrie led the way with nine points while Josh Davis and Cox contributed seven and six points, respectively.

As it turned out, that first-half surge from the Sabercats was their last stand, as Finlandia turned up the heat in the second act. The Lions shot 50 percent from the floor and went 7-10 from downtown in the second half alone, compiling a precise 50 points to ride out to a convincing win. The Lions were led by John Schultz on the night, who bounced off the bench to score 27 points while going 9-11 from the field and 6-7 from downtown on the day.

On the other end of the floor, the Sabercats went cold from distance, shooting just 3-14.

Coach Rob Fuller honored Herbster, Davis, and the rest of the families that came to support their sons on Parents' Day.

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Woodward, 12- Mertes, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: 38.4 FG%
• FinnU: 42.3 FG%
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Finlandia 72-78 earlier this year on January 12
• Series: Finlandia now leads the all-time series 3-1

OPPONENTS

• Finlandia competes in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Finlandia finished the '21-'22 season with a 3-22 overall record

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to Dubuque, Iowa for their last game of the regular season. They will face Emmaus in an NCCAA North Region matchup on Thursday, February 23, at 6 p.m.  Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.