THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 70-39 Illinois Tech
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Attendance: 84
• Record: Sabercats are now 5-8
• Next Game for MBU: Friday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at Emmaus Bible

THE LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The story was strikingly similar to that from 3 weeks ago: Kelsey Johnson led the Sabercats to a 31-point win over Illinois Tech tonight.

The sophomore logged 20 points as the Sabercats won by a 70-39 scoreline. Just 3 weeks ago, Johnson put up 22 points as MBU topped IIT to the tune of 68-38.

THE STORY

Maranatha started the game with an up-tempo offense, as they cruised out to a 12-2 lead in just under 3 minutes - it was essentially all layups for MBU, as the Sabercats created easy chances for themselves and seemed to be heading for the path of least resistance. 

Tech had other ideas, however, as the visitors answered the Sabercats' opening statement with an 11-2 run of their own, and the first quarter turned out to be a tight one. After 10 minutes, the scoreboard matched the calendar year: 20-18. 

Maisy Alldredge led the scoring for MBU with 6 points in the opening 10 minutes. 

The second quarter was almost as competitive as the first, yielding a 13-9 advantage for MBU. Throughout the first half, the Sabercats' offense was diverse, as the starting 5 all contributed between 4-6 points. Alldredge led MBU with 8 points of her own.

The Sabercats have shown themselves to be a strong second-half team this year, and tonight was no exception. Johnson's 11 points fueled a 26-point performance in the third quarter for the Sabercats, who limited the Scarlet Hawks to just 8 points in the quarter and 12 points in the entire second half.

It was a smooth ride to the win for Maranatha, who notched 37 second-half points to take another big win over Illinois Tech.

THE NUMBERS

Johnson's 20-point mark was 2 points shy of her career best from 3 weeks ago. She has logged double-digit points in every game except 1 this season. Johnson's double-double was her fifth this season.

Katie Bender steadily chipped away and notched 14 points - her best mark this season.

Shannon O'Donnell led the scoring for Tech with 16 points.

With the win, the Sabercats now hold a 5-0 advantage in the series.

THE OUTLOOK

The Sabercats will travel to Emmaus Bible College for a 7 p.m. tip-off tomorrow night. Follow live at mbusabercats.com/composite.