February 4, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

CHICAGO, Ill. -- In a North Region matchup to remember, the Sabercats held off a late Moody Bible charge to win 69-67 this afternoon inside the Solheim Center.

Malachi Herbster kept the pace with 23 points and 10 rebounds for Maranatha while Josh Davis scored a season-best 18 points to hit 500 career points on the night. Maranatha closed out their second consecutive win over Moody to go 2-1 in North Region play in 2023.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 69-67 Moody
• Venue: Solheim Center - Moody Bible Institute
• Location: Chicago, Ill.
• Attendance: 100
• Records: MBU (4-16), MBI (0-15)

STORY   

Herbster was one of five Sabercats to contribute points in the opening minutes of the game, as the Sabercats settled into a fragile lead that they would hold for the majority of the opening 20 minutes. Moody stayed right on the Sabercats' heels and tied the game twice, but the Sabercats stayed just in front thanks to 16 first-half points from Herbster and seven from Josh Davis.

At the halftime horn, Maranatha led 39-32 despite going 0-7 from downtown.

The second half was never a done deal, as the Sabercats' biggest lead of the night was only eight points. Caleb Moultrie nailed a triple with 2:32 on the clock to give Maranatha an eight-point lead, but a couple of badly timed turnovers put Moody right back into the game at 69-67. 

Moody ended up with the ball with just two seconds on the clock and went for the win with a deep three, but Tre Walker's game-tying shot fell short and the Sabercats had sneaked away with their second straight North Region win.

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

STATS

• Box Score
• Herbster: second consecutive double-double against Moody
• Davis: season-high 18 points
• Davis: passes 500 career points
• MBU: 45.6% from the field
• MBI: 40.5% from the field
• Last time: Maranatha defeated Moody 82-65 on January 21st
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Moody 54-15

OPPONENTS

• Moody competes alongside Maranatha in the NCCAA North Region
• Moody finished the '21-'22 season with a 0-14 overall record

NEXT

The Sabercats return to Watertown, Wisconsin to host Faith in a NCCAA North Region regular season matchup. Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.