WATERTOWN, Wis. --- In an exciting 40 minutes, the Sabercats ultimately lost by 12 points to MSOE after their comeback lost steam late in the game. Zach Terpstra led the Sabercats with 15 points - his seventh game in double figures this season.

The Basics

• Result: Sabercats 49-61 Raiders
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Attendance: 422
• Sabercats: now 3-7, Raiders: now 2-5

How it Happened

• 1st Half
• The Sabercats came out strong with seven unanswered points, but that seemed to bring the Raiders' shooting game to life, as the visitors began to knock shots down from outside with ease.
• After the opening tradeoff, the Raiders began to extend their lead while the Sabercats struggled to create offensive momentum. With the help of six converted shots from behind the arc throughout the first half, the Raiders took the lead after what was a low-scoring first half, holding a 10-point advantage going into the locker room. (21-31)
• The Sabercats were led in the first half by Tyree Bearden and Zach Terpstra, who registered six points each. Wes Wagner was right there as well with five points and four rebounds.
• The two teams were comparable in rebounds (MBU 15-16 MSOE) and field goal percentage (MBU 37.5-36.7% MSOE) in the first 20 minutes.
• 2nd Half
• Two determined buckets from Bryce Cashner and Clayton Morrison in quick succession brought the Sabercats back to within four points in the early stages of the fourth quarter. (33-37)
• The Raiders restored their lead to a comfortable 11 points, then Micah Shepard and Rob Sonnenberg combined for six straight points to make it a one-possession game once again. (42-45)
• The Raiders then stifled the Sabercats' comeback and posted an answering 12-4 run to hold a 57-46 lead going into the final two minutes.
• The Sabercats were just off the mark in their efforts to get back into the game in the final minutes. Terpstra found nothing but net with a three in the final minute, but it was only a consolation as the Raiders closed out the win with a final score of 49-61.

From Coach Keith

"Coach Brian Miller's team did a great job tonight. Any time you play a NACC team, you are going to face a quality team, and MSOE is no exception to that. I thought we came out strong but we relaxed when we got the early lead. Overall, we held them to 61 points and limited their shooting to 35 and 28 percent. Those are good numbers, but we just struggled to score. We let their physicality dictate how we played, and it hurt us. We have Christmas break now, and will look forward to coming back and starting fresh in January."

Up Next

• This was the last game for the Sabercats in 2016. They will return to action against Dayspring Bible College on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 3:00 p.m.
• Details regarding game coverage will be forthcoming.