LEAD

ANKENY, Iowa -- The Sabercats finally set the record straight against Faith tonight, shooting their way to 49 first-half points in a resounding 81-54 win.

Stephen Wilkerson registered 18 points to lead the Sabercats, who shot just under 50 percent from the floor on the night - it was the performance they were looking for to close the semester and go undefeated at the Faith Christmas Classic.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 81-54 Faith
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 101
• Records: MBU (3-1), FBBC (3-4)

STORY

Last week's loss to Faith was still ringing in the Sabercats' ears, and they seemed to let that fuel a performance that was well above standard. Zeke Steuerwald got things started by going 4-5 from three-point range as the Sabercats chalked up 49 points in the first half alone. If shooting was their problem last week, it was the catalyst for the win today - the Sabercats shot almost 60 percent from downtown and over 50 percent from the field to give themselves a 19-point lead going into the locker room.

Jayce Georgen was Faith's main man last week but the Sabercats limited him to 14 points on the night. Georgen scored just seven first-half points as the Sabercats limited Faith to 30 points on 31.9 percent shooting. It was all going the way the Sabercats wanted.

The first half was so lopsided that the second half would turn out to be a formality as the Sabercats stayed well in front. Stephen Wilkerson made all four of the shots he looked at, scoring eight points to lead the Sabercats in the second half. All 13 of the Sabercats that made the trip contributed to the win - Austin Brammer and Tyler Reid both led the bench efforts with six points each as the Sabercats put together the well-rounded team performance they had been looking for.

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Maranatha Starters: 2- Ball, 3- Mayhak, 4- Steuerwald, 5- Sanders, 23- Wilkerson // Faith Starters: 2- Conable, 5- Goergen, 12- Pearson, 15- Sidlinger, 44- Boyer

STATS

• Wilkerson: 18 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL
• Steuerwald: 17 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
• Aaron Sanders: 12 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST
• MBU: 49.2 FG%
• FBBC: 25.8 FG%
• Last time: The Eagles won 84-76 at Maranatha last weekend
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series 10-3

OPPONENTS

• Faith competes with the Sabercats for the NCCAA North Region
• Faith ended the Sabercats' 2019-20 season with a comeback win in the regional semifinal

NEXT

The Sabercats will hit the road to face Calvary University next Friday at 4:00 p.m. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.