December 12, 2022 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

ANKENY, Iowa -- A last-second three from Caleb Moultrie silenced the Faith fans Saturday night, as the senior gave the Sabercats a win they'll remember for a long time.

The senior's clutch shot sent Maranatha into Christmas break with an 88-86 overtime win at their North Region rivals - the second Sabercat win in as many nights and the first win over Faith for Coach Rob Fuller.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 88-86 Faith (OT)
• Venue: Nettleton Center - Faith Baptist Bible College
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Event: Faith Christmas Classic
• NCCAA North Region Regular Season
• Attendance: 271
• Records: MBU (2-9), FBBC (3-5)

STORY 

The opening minutes were cagey, as the two teams combined for just five points through the opening five minutes. But a dogfight ensued once the two teams settled into a rhythm. Josh Davis hit a three to give the Sabercats a six-point lead, but that was the biggest lead anyone had in the entire first half.

The shot selection was simple for the Sabercats - they shot over 50 percent from the floor while going a modest 3-5 from downtown in the opening 20 minutes. Moultrie paced the Blue and Gold with 10 points while Chris Barnette (13) and Andy Hecker (10) did most of the work for Faith.

Going into the halftime break, the Eagles had a 43-38 lead and the game was just heating up.

Jared Pearson hit a couple of free throws at the 10:55 mark to put the Eagles ahead by 10 - the only double-digit lead of the game. But just when the momentum seemed fixed for Faith, the Sabercats strung together a 16-4 run that finished with a jumper from Moultrie. It was a game of momentum shifts, and with six minutes left on the clock, it was anyone's game at 67-65 Maranatha.

The final two minutes were wild. Mike Mertes hit a corner three, Noah Jensen hit a mid-range jumper, and the Sabercats had a two-point lead with just over a minute. Faith answered with a close jumper, and no one could connect the winner in the final minute.

Once again, a Maranatha-Faith game was heading to overtime.

Overtime was hectic and nervy, and everyone had a part to play. Jensen and Moultrie handled the scoring - Moultrie hit an early three and Jensen put up six points in the paint for a career-high of 23, but the decisive moment came in the Sabercats' final possession. Moultrie went to work on his man right in front of the Sabercats' bench, and with a hand in his face, the senior pulled up from three feet behind the arc and nailed the decisive shot to put the Sabercats ahead 88-86 with the game on the line and 3.7 seconds on the clock.

Cometh the hour cometh THE MAN ��

Caleb Moultrie delivered a Maranatha-Faith moment that we will remember for a long, long time. �� pic.twitter.com/9g1Vp4ex9d

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) December 13, 2022

Faith's final offer was a jumper that was closely covered by Malachi Herbster. The game-tying shot missed the mark, Jensen snagged the rebound, and the only cheers filling the Nettleton Center came from those in the Blue and Gold.

COACH'S CORNER

"Like I told the guys, it's always sweet to win, but it's always sweet to beat your brothers," said Coach Rob Fuller. "And Faith are our brothers - they're a brother institution and they're doing the same job we're doing. And so we have a really strong rivalry and it's always special to win, to go there and do it on their court. We needed it.

"[Caleb Moultrie] ice water. He's got ice water in his veins to pull up and hit that shot when the play broke down. We wanted the ball in his hands. He had to make something happen, and magic happened.

"This last couple of weeks, we've been emphasizing toughness and what that means - taking each possession as its own entity. And the guys showed it this weekend and that's just building confidence for the second semester. Every possession in every game we're gonna learn from, be tough, and we're not gonna go away. And that's what we saw this weekend." 

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Woodward, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster, 35- Akonofua

STATS

• Box Score
• Jensen: 23 points (career-high)
• MBU: shot 50.7 percent from the field
• FBBC: shot 36.5 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Faith 59-44 on February 8, 2022
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Faith 11-5

OPPONENTS

• Faith competes with the Sabercats in the NCCAA North Region
• Faith also competes in the Midwest Christian Collegiate Conference
• Faith finished the '21-'22 season with a 10-16 record
• Faith fell to Emmaus in the 2022 MCCC conference tournament
• Faith later fell to Emmaus again in the 2022 NCCAA North Region championship, which was hosted by Maranatha

NEXT

The Sabercats return to the court on January 9, 2023, where they will face off against Trinity Bible in Plymouth, Minnesota in an NCCAA North Region matchup. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.