January 24, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Martin Luther brought their 'A' game to Maranatha tonight, taking a 58-76 win to sweep the season series in front of a big crowd in the Maranatha Gymnasium.

Caleb Moultrie led Maranatha with 15 points and was one of four starters in double digits. Josh Davis put up 11 points and 11 rebounds.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 58-76 Martin Luther
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 412
• Records: MBU (3-15), MLC (2-15)

STORY 

The energy from a capacity crowd was fuel in the opening minutes for both teams, who traded points early on to herald a close game ahead. Moultrie led Maranatha with nine first-half points and Mike Mertes had eight, but the Sabercats found themselves down five points at the sound of the halftime horn. 

Turnovers caused a small problem for Maranatha in the first half, as they gave it away eight times, translating to 13 points off turnovers from the hard-working Knights. Goodnews Akonofua wowed the crowd with the loudest moment of the first half, throwing down a dunk and drawing a foul to put the Sabercats up by two. 

WE'VE GOT GOODNEWS ���� pic.twitter.com/gk1fdHZ7xs

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) January 25, 2023

The second half produced some bright moments, but the Knights' pressure proved to be pernicious. Davis scored eight points in the second half to try to fuel a comeback but the Sabercats' efforts ultimately fell short, as Martin Luther kept them firmly out of reach for the remainder of the night.

At the sound of the final horn, the Sabercats' hopes of their second straight win were ultimately ended, and they will look to regroup with a weekend off before beginning a four-week preparation for NCCAA Regionals.

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

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: 45.1 FG%
• MLC: 32.1 FG%
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Martin Luther 54-59 on January 10, 2023
• Series: Maranatha trails the all-time series against Martin Luther 6-9

OPPONENTS

• Martin Luther competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Martin Luther finished the '21-'22 season with a 5-21 record
• Martin Luther finished last season with a first-round UMAC Tournament loss to Northwestern (78-112)

NEXT

The Sabercats will host Carthage College next Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.