November 5, 2021 | by Nate Croswell

LEAD

DEFIANCE, Ohio -- The Sabercats lost the season opener as their young roster was outmatched by Defiance.

Caleb Moultrie dropped a team-high 14 points, Malachi Herbster grabbed 11 rebounds, and freshman Mike Mertes dropped nine points off the bench.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 50-78 Defiance 
• Venue: Karl H. Weaner Community Center, Defiance College
• Location: Defiance, Ohio
• Attendance: 300
• Records: MBU (0-1), DC (1-0)

STORY

Despite a slow start for the opening minutes, Defiance rolled out to take control early on. The athletic Yellow Jackets forced Maranatha to make turnover after turnover and took advantage of those mistakes. By the first substitutions, their lead was 22-12. They continued to outperform the Sabercats throughout the half, leading 40-19 at the break. On the bright side, Caleb Moultrie began his season with a hot first half, dropping 10 of Maranatha's 19 points in the half.

The second half was not much different than the first. Defiance continued to pressure the Sabercats on the defensive side and took advantage of the young lineup's mistakes. They pulled away to a 68-34 lead with eight minutes left. The Sabercats fought late, but it was not enough to overcome Defiance as they lost 78-50. Defiance forced 26 turnovers from the Sabercats, scoring 27 points off those turnovers.

In the loss, Moultrie dropped 14 points and added 5 rebounds. Mike Mertes, a freshman making his first collegiate appearance, contributed 9 points to the offense. Malachi Herbster recorded 11 rebounds and five points in his second career start.

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Maranatha Starters: 3- Mayhak, 5- Sanders, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster // Defiance starters: 3- Beamon, 12- Wittenbaum, 22- Jordan, 30- Swanner, 50- Edwards

STATS

• Moultrie: 14 PTS, 5 REB
• Herbster: 11 REB, 4 BLK
• Mertes: 9 PTS, 2 REB
• MBU: 34.6 FG%
• Series: Defiance leads the all-time series 1-0

OPPONENTS

• Defiance competes in the Heartland Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Defiance's head coach, Josh Gibson, earned his first win as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets

NEXT

The Sabercats will face Miami-Hamilton tomorrow as they finish up the Purple and Gold Tournament. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.