November 12, 2022 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Rockford Regents came to play today, as they took a 62-105 win over Maranatha to close the week.

Caleb Moultrie led Maranatha with 28 points on the night as the Sabercats stay winless through a demanding first week of the season.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 62-105 Rockford
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University - Gymnasium
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 251
• Records: MBU (0-3), RU (2-0)

STORY

The Regents showed their quality early on, playing at a tempo that was consistent with their rigorous early season schedule. The Regents' defense was incessant and their sheer variety at the other end of the floor confounded the Sabercats in the opening stages of the first half. Rockford forced 13 turnovers in the first nine minutes, and the Sabercats were looking for answers.

Noah Jensen had the first six points for Maranatha, and Caleb Moultrie took over with 12 points through the rest of the half, shooting 4-5 from downtown to kick-start the momentum for Maranatha. But Rockford held off a late push, and at the sound of the halftime horn, the Regents held a 49-29 lead.

The story of the game was largely unchanged for the second half. Rockford continued to smother everything on the defensive end while staying sharp with their finishing. Moultrie approached his career-high of 30 points but Rockford kept him in the 20s, and Jataz Gray had a flurry inside of the final minute, knocking down seven points in the final 39 seconds to finish the day on a high note.

�� @JatazGray74 being NICE with it! 7 points in a minute!

�� Maranatha 62
�� Rockford 105

5.1 | 2H pic.twitter.com/Z1kw3pLS5r

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) November 12, 2022

At the sound of the final horn, the Sabercats had been outplayed, but the strong early season schedule could prove to be a major positive by the end of the season.

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Woodward, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster, 34- Jensen

STATS

• Box Score
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Rockford 68-96 on Nov. 16, 2021
• Series: Maranatha trails the all-time series against Rockford 1-12

OPPONENTS

• Rockford competes in the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Rockford opened the season with an exhibition win of NAIA No. 19 Indiana-South Bend
• Rockford finished the '21-'22 season with a 15-9 record but did not make the conference tournament

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to River Forest, Illinois to take on Dominican University on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.