December 10, 2021 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

ANKENY, Iowa -- The Sabercats finally got their long-overdue win this afternoon, as they held off Calvary 85-79 at the Faith Christmas Classic.

Jed Mayhak put up a career-high 26 points to lead four Sabercats that reached double digits, and the Sabercats shot 27-37 from the free-throw line to grind out their first win of the season.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 85-79 Calvary
• Venue: Nettleton Center, Faith Baptist Bible College
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Event: Faith Christmas Classic
• Attendance: -
• Records: MBU (1-9), CBU (1-5) 

STORY

The lead changed hands like it was hot in the first half, as both teams approached the 50-points mark in the opening 20 minutes. Mayhak had his range locked in early on, dropping 21 points in the first half alone, and the senior's three-point shooting helped establish Maranatha's lead midway through the first half.

The big story of the first half was Maranatha's consistency from the line, as they punished the Warriors for getting into foul trouble. Mayhak went 8-8 and the Sabercats shot a tidy 20-23 from the charity stripe in the first half alone.

Calvary answered and kept it a one-possession ballgame late in the first half, but late points from Dylan Woodward extended the lead out to six and set up an eventual career-high of 16 points for the freshman.

When the smoke cleared, Maranatha led 49-43 going into halftime.

Both teams cooled off a little in the second half, but the Warriors made it interesting late on. After Maranatha kept Calvary at an arm's length through most of the half, the Warriors made it a one-possession game twice in the final five minutes. It was all about free-throw shooting and tight defense late in the game, as the Sabercats did just enough to hold off the Warriors, grab their first win of the season, and mark a winning start to the Faith Christmas Classic.

--

Maranatha Starters: 3- Mayhak, 5- Sanders, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster // Calvary starters: 0- Murr, 3- Kirkman, 5- Jones, 14- Brandel, 23- Smith

SOUND BITE

"Really nice to get back into the win column," said Coach Joel Borchardt. "It was nice to see guys pull together and play together offensively, and Calvary gave us some tough moments. It was an exciting game and it was good to see our guys pull together even when Calvary put together some good runs. Excited to see that progress so far - room to improve, and we're hoping for another win against Faith."

STATS

• Mayhak: 26 PTS*, 5 REB
• Woodward: 16 PTS*, 5 REB
• Caleb Moultrie: 15 PTS, 7 REB
• Malachi Herbster: 11 PTS, 5 REB
• Last time: Maranatha defeated Calvary 101-92 on December 11, 2020 
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Calvary 1-0

*Career high

OPPONENTS

• Calvary competes with the Sabercats in the NCCAA North Region
• Calvary also competes in the Midwest Christian Collegiate Conference
• The only time Calvary has played Maranatha was at the 2020 Faith Christmas Classic

NEXT

The Sabercats remain in Ankeny to face Faith tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. to finish up the tournament. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.