December 5, 2022 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

HANCOCK, Mich. -- It was a disappointing end to a long weekend as the Sabercats fell 58-90 against North Central University. The men will have a full week to prepare before they go to the Faith Christmas Classic next weekend. 

Caleb Moultrie and Malachi Herbster were the only Sabercats to score in double digits. They both led their team with 11 points each. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 58-90 North Central
• Venue: Paavo Nurmi Center - Finlandia University
• Location: Hancock, Mich.
• Attendance: 90
• Records: MBU (0-7), NCC (7-3)

STORY

Brayden Cox and Malachi Herbster put the Sabercats on the board early in the game, giving their team the first lead. For much of the first half, Maranatha was in a tight battle with the Rams of North Central. 

After North Central's Jonathan Thompson hit a 3-point shot to give his team the advantage, the Sabercats kept the deficit within single digits for a good chunk of the half. But with five minutes to go in the half Maranatha struggled to grab a board and gave the Rams too many second-chance shots, which they used to their advantage. At the half, North Central had pulled ahead to a 42-19 lead. 

Coming out of halftime, the Sabercats were finding the rim a bit more. They outshot the Rams in the second half, going 65 percent from the field. But it was still not enough to overcome the deficit they had already found themselves in. When the final buzzer sounded, the Sabercats were left empty-handed, still with no win on the season. 

Maranatha will take the next week to prepare for the Faith Christmas Classic this upcoming weekend. Here they hope to finally find their groove and come away with a couple of wins. 

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Woodward, 2- Cox, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: shot 39.7 percent from the field
• NCC: shot 51.5 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell to North Central last December with a final score of 62-85
• Series: North Central currently leads the all-time series against Maranatha 10-8

OPPONENTS

• North Central competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA-DIII)
• North Central also competes alongside Maranatha in the NCCAA North Region
• North Central finished the '21-'22 season with a record of 16-11
• North Central fell to Crown College (68-72) last year in the UMAC Semi-finals. 
• North Central did not compete in the NCCAA North Region tournament. 

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to Ankeny, Iowa next weekend for the Faith Christmas Classic. They will take on Calvary Bible, Friday at 4 P.M. and Faith Baptist Bible College, Saturday at 4 P.M. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.