January 31, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats were right there in the first half against a regional NCAA Division III mainstay, but ultimately fell 62-87 under a second-half onslaught from Carthage College tonight.

Caleb Moultrie led Maranatha with 14 points while Malachi Herbster added a dozen. The Sabercats' next home game is next Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. against Faith Baptist Bible College in an NCCAA North Region matchup.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 62-87 Carthage
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 
• Records: MBU (3-16), CC (14-6)

STORY 

The Sabercats did their best to stay close in the opening possessions, as a couple of three-pointers from Brayden Cox and four points each from three of the starters kept the Sabercats in the game. Cox nailed a wide-open three with five minutes on the clock and Carthage called a timeout with a 28-20 lead. 

From there, Maranatha stayed tight. Malachi Herbster chipped away at the game and gradually scored 10 points in the opening 20 minutes, keeping Carthage within arm's reach as the Sabercats went into halftime down just 30-37.

It seemed that the Firebirds needed the halftime break because they turned the tide through a tenacious press and a fast-paced, unpredictable offense. Carthage quickly built a 20-point lead just seven minutes into the second half, and it looked like the tide had already turned. Caleb Moultrie tried to keep the Sabercats in the game with eight points in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, but Maranatha eventually wore down under the pernicious pressure from Carthage.

As the clock wound down, the Firebirds wound up winning by a comfortable margin, winning the second half 50-25 to secure an emphatic win.

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

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: 40.0 FG%
• CC: 48.5 FG%
• Last time: Carthage defeated Maranatha the last time they met in 1999
• Series: Maranatha trails the all-time series against Carthage 0-4

OPPONENTS

• Carthage competes in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (NCAA DIII)
• Carthage has competed against three teams that ranked in the top 11 in the NCAA DIII this season, holding a 1-2 record against ranked teams
• Carthage finished the '21-'22 season with a 9-16 record

NEXT

The Sabercats will travel to Chicago, Illinois for an NCCAA North Region clash with Moody Bible Institute next Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.