WATERTOWN, Wis. --- In a cross-regional NCCAA DII matchup, the Sabercats posted a noteworthy comeback to get past the Lakes of Great Lakes Christian College, as they overcame a 15-point deficit and their own loose play to take an 86-85 win.

The Basics

• Result: Sabercats 86-85 Lakes
• Venue: Maranatha Gymnasium
• Attendance: 503
• Sabercats: now 1-4, Lakes: now 0-11

How it Happened

• 1st Half
• Wes Wagner put an end to the Sabercats' early shooting woes, as a frantic start got the better of MBU in the first few minutes.
• The Sabercats looked to the drive to get points on the board, as some adroit dribbling and finishing from Micah Shepard and Tyree Bearden gave the Sabercats momentum to gain their first lead of the game when Zach Terpstra put one in off the glass with just over 11 minutes on the clock. (15-14)
• The Lakes responded to take a 19-25 lead, and the Sabercats struggled to execute throughout the first half both in their possession and in their shooting.
• CJ Jones made a difference off the bench to post four points, but the Lakes answered the Sabercats' points with some effective perimeter shooting, taking a 36-41 lead going into the locker room. (36-41)
• Terpstra led the Sabercats in the first half with eight points. Shepard added four points and five boards.
• 2nd Half
• The Lakes kept their lead at 15 - their largest lead of the night - early in the second half.
• Shepard then single-handedly scored seven unanswered points to break double figures in the second half, but the junior's offensive leadership was offset by loose team defending from the Sabercats which allowed the Lakes to maintain a double-digit lead going into the final 10 minutes (61-72)
• Morrison's full-court drive finally cut the Lakes' lead to six, making it a two-possession game with 7:30 on the clock.
• The Sabercats slowly chipped away at the lead, and Wagner finally gave them the lead at 82-81 with just under two and a half minutes left.
• In a wild final two minutes, the Sabercats scraped out the win. Jonathan Book made a key layup to force the Lakes' hand, and after a Great Lakes turnover and a foul, Shepard stepped up to the line and calmly knocked down his two free throws to put the Sabercats up 86-85. 
• After a tradeoff of misses, the Sabercats' defense stayed tight to force a miss from the Lakes' desperate attempt to tie the game at the buzzer. (86-85)

Extras

• The Sabercats now stand at 1-1 in all divisions of NCCAA play this season.
• CJ Jones recorded his first points of the season.
• The 26-point total was the best for Shepard since a 21-point showing in the 2014 season against Dayspring Bible. Shepard was also one board away from his first career double-double.
• Zach Terpstra was right behind Shepard with 18 points of his own. The 18-point showing moved Terpstra past 500 career points.
• Book joined Shepard and Terpstra in double figures with 12 points

From Coach Keith

"Number one, I want to compliment Coach Josh Lockwood and they great job they did. They executed, they played hard and they played together, and we were fortunate to come out on top at the end. We capitalized on a couple late turnovers, and that helped us. Micah Shepard was huge for us with nine rebounds and 26 points, and we had a lot of guys that made a great effort as well. We are still very early in our season, and we are working to find our identity and our style of play. We're making progress, and I am excited about where we are headed."

Up Next

• The Sabercats will travel to Manitowoc, Wis. to face the Lakers of Silver Lake College at 7:00 PM this Saturday.​