LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Two nights after an electric win over Moody, the Sabercats have been given a harsh reality check.

With a 70-87 loss to North Central, the Sabercats fall back to 4-9 for the season despite double-digit efforts from the majority of their starters.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 70-87 North Central
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 127
• Records: MBU (4-9), NCU (5-12)

STORY

The first half was a high-scoring shootout, as the two teams combined for 90 points, 50 of which belonged to the visitors. Riley Loukinen was leading the charge for NCU, as he logged 19 points alone, but Maranatha shared the wealth and kept pace. Stephen Wilkerson put up 10 points, Jed Mayhak added eight, and Bryant Sturgill came off the bench with eight points of his own. Going into the locker room, the Sabercats were in reach - they just needed to sharpen up the shooting just a touch.

But the Sabercats needed to start the comeback soon if they were going to turn the game around, and North Central squelched potential momentum by increasing their lead to a sizeable 23 points by the 13-minute mark. Maranatha ended up with 21 turnovers on the night - eight more than their visitors - and never really threatened from that point on, as North Central showcased their high-performing bench en route to the 17-point win.

The Sabercats will look to turn the ship around once again next week, as they host Emmaus and Dayspring in a couple of winnable games.

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MBU Starters: 2- Ball, 3- Mayhak, 4- Steuerwald 5- Sanders, 23- Wilkerson 

STATS

• Wilkerson: 16 PTS, 9 REB
• Aaron Sanders: 10 PTS, 6 REB
• Zeke Steuerwald: 11 PTS, 5 REB
• MBU: All 15 student-athletes contributed to the win
• Last year: The Sabercats took a 91-65 loss to NCU in Minneapolis
• Series: The series is now tied at 8

OPPONENTS

• North Central formerly competed with MBU for the NCCAA North Region
• North Central competes in the UMAC (NCAA DIII)
• North Central currently holds a 2-6 UMAC record

NEXT

The Sabercats will host Emmaus Bible College at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday in an NCCAA North Region clash. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.