February 15, 2022 | by Nate Croswell

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats battled but fell short to a tough Luther Norse team by a score of 75-61.

Josh Davis scored a career-high 25 points and tied for second in program history by making seven three-pointers in the loss.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 61-75 Luther
• Venue: Main Gymnasium, Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 75
• Records: MBU (5-18), LC (8-16)

STORY

The first half was a constant battle as neither team could pick apart the other defense consistently. The Sabercats held the Norse offense at bay as they climbed to a 13-9 lead that forced Luther to call a timeout halfway through, causing the crowd to erupt. Luther used the timeout to regain their wits and ran out to a seven-point lead, but Josh Davis scored nine points off three-pointers in just four minutes of play in the final stretch of the half, leading the two teams to a 28-28 deadlock at the break.

The Norse used the break to gather themselves and changed the entire complexion of the game by exploding to a 10-point within five minutes. They continued that roll and extended their lead to 14 points by the halfway mark. The Norse simply outmaneuvered the Sabercats with quick passes and good shot selection. But Davis still did not back down as he drained another nine points off three-pointers in the final two-and-a-half minutes, tying a program single-game record of seven made three-pointers and bringing him to a career-high 25 points. Despite his offensive outburst, the Sabercats could not overcome Luther's explosive second half and fell 75-61.

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Maranatha Starters: 3- Mayhak, 5- Sanders, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster // Luther starters: 2- Lazinbat, 3- Bailey, 4- Webster, 32- Frazen, 42- Gill

SOUND BITE

"Just proud of the way the guys fought tonight," said Coach Joel Borchardt. "It wasn't the outcome we wanted to see but we knew they were a good team and that it was going to be a fight the whole way. That 13-2 [Luther] run killed us and that really made the difference in the ballgame. [It was good] just seeing how we adjusted and made plays when we needed to, and we're looking to improve and prepare for Saturday. Josh Davis really stepped up and led the team with his shooting tonight, and we're just looking to get guys to step up and get everyone on the same page and put a whole game together."

STATS

• Davis: 25 PTS*, 6 REB
• Davis: Tied program record of seven three-pointers in a single game
• Sanders: 12 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK
• Moultrie: 9 PTS, 8 REB
• Last time: Luther defeated Maranatha 94-58 on November 12, 2019
• Series: Luther now leads the all-time series 3-0

* Career High

OPPONENTS

• Luther competes in the American Rivers Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Luther is at the tail-end of their best season since 2019-20 with just one game remaining

NEXT

The Sabercats will head to Lincoln, Illinois this weekend for a rematch against Lincoln Christian on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.