ST. BONIFACIOUS, Minn. --- The Sabercats' search for winning momentum was put on further hold, as cold shooting plagued MBU in a 46-63 loss to UMAC opponents Crown College. MBU shot just 29.5 percent from the fieldas they fall to 4-12 on the season with the loss.

The Sabercats grabbed a quick lead with layups from Wes Wagner and Micah Shepard, and stayed tightly-matched with the Storm early on. The Storm found their home-court rhythm for the latter part of the half, however, and began to tip the scoreline when the Sabercats could not connect their shots. The Storm doubled the Sabercats' rebounding, which proved to be one of the difference-makers in the first half.

Through the Storm's superior rebounding and the Sabercats' misfires, the three-point game eventually became a 16-point lead for the Storm going into the break.

Wagner and Shepard went on to lead MBU with six points apiece going into halftime. (21-37)

The second half was more competitive, as the Sabercats scored just one less point than the Storm through the second 20-minute stretch. But it would still be a case of "what might have been", as the Sabercats continued to struggle with their shooting. The Storm maintained a 20-point lead for the majority of the half, but the Sabercats finished on a high note by posting a 9-2 run in the closing four minutes.

Justin Blake added his first points in the Blue and Gold, as the freshman contributed four points and a team-leading nine rebounds after coming off the bench.

Wagner led MBU with eight points, Shepard contributed seven, and Bryce Cashner notched six off the bench.

Shepard's seven-point contribution saw him pass the 500 career points milestone, bringing him to 501 points in 57 games played.

"This was not one of our better performances," said head coach Keith Salscheider after the game. "As a team, we need to evaluate ourselves by the effort we put forth as opposed to the shots we make. Once we figure that out, we will play with fire and passion. Having some guys be sick didn't help, but overall it was a below-average performance. We need to be thinking of how we can connect with each other as a team, and will look to improve on these things."

The Sabercats will look to their next matchup, which is NCCAA regional action and their first ever meeting with Providence University College.

Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. Saturday in Watertown, Wis. Catch the game live via Facebook Live and at mbusabercats.com/live.