January 9, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

PLYMOUTH, Minn. -- The Sabercats returned from Christmas break with a little rust to shake off, falling to the Trinity Bible College Lions in a rematch of last year's NCCAA North Region Tournament by a score of 89-54.

Malachi Herbster was the top scorer with 12 points for the Sabercats, who will stay overnight in Minnesota tonight before taking on Martin Luther College tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 54-89 Trinity Bible 
• Venue: Student Life Center - Free Lutheran Bible College
• Location: Plymouth, Minn.
• Event: NCCAA North Region Regular Season
• Attendance: -
• Records: MBU (2-10), TBC (6-7)

STORY 

The Sabercats hit the ground running and jumped to a 6-2 lead right out of the gate but their shooting quickly turned cold, as the Lions went on a 23-2 tear to take full control of the game.

It was more about damage control than anything else at that point, as the Sabercats went into the halftime break with a 25-43 deficit staring them in the face. At the break, Herbster had eight points to lead Maranatha with Goodnews Akonofua and Caleb Moultrie sitting on four points apiece.

As a unit, the Sabercats were shooting just 33 percent while making just one shot from downtown.

The similarities between the first and second halves were striking, as the Sabercats shot 33 percent once again while sinking just one shot from downtown in the 20-minute stretch. The Trinity lead never dissipated, and it never looked like doing so, as the Lions shot almost 60 percent in the half, going a red-hot 7-11 from downtown. Trinity's Khalil Bolden led the way for the hosts, putting up 23 points on the night.

All in all, the difference was in the finishing, as the Lions capped off the North Region win in style to the tune of 89-54 - their largest margin of victory in the all-time series. 

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Woodward, 12- Mertes, 15- Davis, 21- Moultrie, 24- Herbster

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: shot 33.3 percent from the field
• TBC: shot 47.8 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Trinity Bible 67-64 in OT during the NCCAA North Region Tournament on February 24, 2022
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Trinity Bible 6-2

OPPONENTS

• Trinity competes with the Sabercats in the NCCAA DII North Region
• Trinity also competes in the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
• Trinity finished the '21-'22 season with an 18-17 record
• Trinity has finished as runner-up in the NCCAA North Region Tournament the last three seasons

NEXT

The Sabercats will travel to New Ulm, Minnesota, where they will take on Martin Luther College on January 10th at 5 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.