LEAD

ANKENY, Iowa -- The Sabercats outscored Faith Baptist 57-21 in the second half today to secure an 82-43 win and an undefeated showing at the Faith Christmas Classic.

Kiersten Johnson put up a career-high 23 points to fuel the win for Maranatha, who showed no signs of weakness. The sensational second-half performance capped off some six individual career-highs on a high-scoring day.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 82-43 Faith
• Venue: Nettleton Center, Faith Baptist Bible College
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Event: Faith Christmas Classic
• Attendance: 47
• Records: MBU (3-4), FBBC (2-5)

STORY

Katelyn Morrison was the main protagonist for the Sabercats at the start, as she singlehandedly matched Faith's eight points in the first quarter to give the Sabercats a 14-8 lead.

Faith sent the message for the rest of the first half that they were bent on rewriting the script from the last game, as they stayed within three points of the Sabercats entering halftime.

Whatever adjustments the Sabercats made at halftime will no doubt stay in the playbook. Their second-half performance was characterized by little to no weaknesses. Johnson bounced off the bench to score eight points and lead the Sabercats, and Callie Morrison and Katelyn Schultz began chipping away at the double-doubles they would log by the end of the game. Schultz's double-double was the first one in her career, as the Sabercats showcased their depth from top to bottom.

In a stat: the team averaged 56 points per game coming into today, and they beat that number in just 20 minutes.

The final 20 minutes saw the Sabercats play to their potential to end a long and uncertain opening part of the season. When the game was done, the Sabercats secured their third win in a row, their second of the weekend, and their second win this season over Faith Baptist Bible College.

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Maranatha Starters: 3- C. Morrison, 4- E. Johnson, 20- Rogers, 25- K. Morrison, 35- Kruse

STATS

• K. Johnson: 23 PTS*, 7 REB 
• K. Morrison: 19 PTS
• C. Morrison: 12 PTS, 16 REB*, 12 AST*, 8 STL*
• Schultz: 10 PTS*, 10 REB*, 3 AST (first career double-double)
• MBU: shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second half
• Last year: The Sabercats won 87-53 last week
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series 11-0

*Career-high

OPPONENTS

• Faith competes with the Sabercats for the NCCAA North Region
• Faith finished the 2019-20 season with a 6-18 record
• Faith also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference

NEXT

The Sabercats will have a chance to rest until they take on Crown College on January 16. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.