THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 85-73 Grace Bible
• Venue: Grace Bible College
• Attendance: 181
• Record: Sabercats are now 4-7
• Next Game for MBU: Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. vs Emmaus Bible

THE LEAD

WYOMING, Mich. -- The Sabercats were nearly flawless tonight, as they produced arguably their best team performance of the season so far in a big away win over Grace Bible College.

The Sabercats had one of their best performances of the year so far, as they set a program record for assists (28) while producing noteworthy performances in other areas. Alexis Bueltel and Kelsey Johnson led the scoring bonanza for MBU with 23 and 19 points, respectively. Trisha Wright put on a clinic, as she didn't miss a shot from downtown and recorded a red-hot 19 points from off of the bench for MBU.

THE STORY

While the Sabercats won the war, the Tigers won the battle of the first quarter 26-15 after an opening 10-3 run.

With the momentum fixed squarely against them, the Sabercats proceeded to put on one of their best and balanced offensive displays of the season. Seven different players combined for a 27-point showing in the second quarter, as the Sabercats made it a 1-point game going into the halftime break. Three buckets from beyond the arc from Wright (2) and Johnson (1) were key momentum-swingers, as the Sabercats brought the deficit from 9 points to 3 points as the quarter wound down.

After the third quarter froze the margin, the Sabercats dominated the final act to win the game comfortably.

Wright got things started with 2 consecutive jumpers from downtown which gave Maranatha their first lead of the quarter. The newcomer didn't stop there, and wound up being responsible for 11 of the Sabercats' points in the final quarter.

On the other end of the court, the Sabercats' defense held the Tigers to their lowest tally of the night. After an exhibition of balanced, free-flowing offense, the Sabercats took a hard-earned win back to Wisconsin.

THE NUMBERS

Bueltel's 23-point showing was her best this season and the second-best night of her career.

Wright's 19 points marked her career-high and her first night in double figures.

Thanks to Wright's shooting clinic, the Sabercats shot a season-best 52.9 percent from downtown.

Johnson added 9 assists and 8 rebounds to her 19 points. That 9-assists mark is a career-high for her.

The Sabercats' program-record 28 assists blew away their previous-best mark of 18 team assists.*

With the win, the Sabercats now hold a 26-10 advantage in the all-time series.

THE OUTLOOK

The Sabercats will return to Watertown for a 5 p.m. Tuesday game against Emmaus Bible College. Follow live at mbusabercats.com/composite.

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*All-time records may be subject to incomplete archiving. If you find an error or an omission in the archives, please contact taylor.pill@mbu.edu