December 14, 2022 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. --  The Sabercats fell at home to Illinois Tech, 46-97, in their last game of 2022. 

Maranatha will return with a trip to Plymouth, Minnesota to face Trinity Bible to kick off the new year on January 9th. Despite the loss, Katelyn Morrison led her team by scoring a career-high 26 points.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 46-97 Illinois Tech
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wisconsin
• Attendance: 92
• Records: MBU (2-8), IIT (1-8)

STORY  

The night did not go the way the Sabercats had wanted. Right from the start, things seemed to be going a bit slow for Maranatha. The Red Hawks, on the other hand, had some fire in their eyes and they jumped out to a quick 14-2 lead. 

As a program that has struggled for many years, it was a night to remember for Illinois Tech. The Red Hawks were feeling it from all over the court, dropping shots left and right, and leaving the Sabercats with no answers. Illinois Tech had three girls finish with double digits. Camden Joko had 15, Chloe Churilla had 26, and Julia Bucci finished with an incredible 35 points. 27 of Bucci's points came from behind the arc. 

The Sabercats switched between man and zone defense, looking for anything that could slow down their opponents. But no matter what Maranatha did, Illinois Tech could not seem to miss. 

Maranatha would ultimately fall 46-97. But despite the loss, there were still some good takeaways. The Sabercats shot over 31 percent from the field, which was the 4th highest percentage they've had this season.

Many Sabercats reserves got their opportunity to shine on the court. One of which was freshman Ashleigh Mullikin who had a great game. She came off the bench early in the second quarter and scored two quick buckets within 40 seconds of play. Mullikin's aggression and energy boosted the spirits of the Sabercats that were on the floor. The Maranatha had a nice little 8-0 run lasting the first 5 minutes of the second quarter. 

Senior Katelyn Morrison also set herself a new career high of 26 points in last night's game. 

The Sabercats will take some time off to travel home for the holidays. They will return ready to get back to work on January 3rd. Their next game will be on January 9th where they will face Trinity Bible in an NCCAA North Region matchup. Starting senior Claire Greene played in her last game yesterday, as she will not be returning for the second half of the season. 

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Maranatha Starters: 12- Ab. Herbster, 13- Teachout, 21- Mikkelson, 25- Morrison, 30- Greene

STATS

• Box score
• MBU: shot 31.8 percent from the field
• IIT: shot 50.7 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha defeated IIT 70-39 on January 25, 2018.
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against IIT 5-1

OPPONENTS

• Illinois Tech competes in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Illinois Tech finished the '21-'22 season with a 5-20 record

NEXT

The Sabercats return to the court on Monday, January 9 at 2 P.M. They travel to Plymouth, Minn. to take on Trinity Bible in another NCCAA North Region match-up. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.