December 3, 2021 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Sabercats had a strong second half couldn't shake a cold start tonight at North Central, falling to the third-ranked team in the NCCAA DII 62-85.

Caleb Moultrie and Aaron Sanders both scored 13 points apiece and Noah Jensen added nine from the bench, but the Sabercats stay winless on the season and 0-2 in North Region play.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 62-85 No. 3 North Central
• Venue: Clark-Danielson Gymnasium
• Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
• Attendance: -
• Records: MBU (0-8), NCU (2-4) 

STORY

Shooting was the story of the first half, as North Central usually connected while the Sabercats struggled to stay above just 20 percent in the opening 20 minutes. North Central's defense was working overtime to throw the Sabercats off their rhythm, and their strong play in the paint at the other end of the floor gave them an easy advantage going into halftime.

Maranatha noticeably improved in the second half, winning the 20-minute stretch 43-41 while shooting at a superior clip of 43.8 percent, but that slow start had done terminal damage. Jensen improved his tally to nine to lead Maranatha's bench, but the depth of the third-ranked Rams was too much to handle on the night for MBU.

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Maranatha Starters: 3- Mayhak, 5- Sanders, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster // North Central starters: 2- Castro, 4- Holtman, 12- Thomas, 20- Thompson, 33- Fuqua

STATS

• Moultrie: 13 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL
• Sanders: 13 PTS, 2 AST, 2 STL
• Jensen: 9 PTS, 6 REB
• MBU: Shot 20.6% from the floor in the first half, 43.8 percent in the second
• Last time: North Central defeated Maranatha 87-70 on January 25, 2020 
• Series: The series is now tied 8-8

OPPONENTS

• North Central competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• North Central has rejoined the North Region alongside Maranatha

NEXT

The Sabercats will stay in the Twin Cities tomorrow to take on Northwestern (Minn.) at 4:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.