February 13, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A slow start cost the Sabercats tonight, as they took a 45-67 loss to the Luther College Norse inside the Maranatha Gymnasium.

Malachi Herbster scored 15 points to lead the Sabercats, who will look forward to Saturday's 2:00 p.m. home Parents' Day clash with Rockford University.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 45-67 Luther
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wisconsin
• Attendance: 97
• Records: MBU (4-19), LC (9-15)

STORY

The Norse chose their shots with precision in the first half, going 48.4 percent from the field while holding the Sabercats to shooting just 7-23, or 30 percent. Malachi Herbster led the efforts with an eight-point display and Dylan Woodward was next up with four points, but the overall feel was a defensive battle. Maranatha went into the locker room with a frustrating 18 points on the board to Luther's 35.

The second act was more or less a copy of the first in terms of scoreline and the Sabercats' shooting performance. Luther's physicality gave them an edge in the paint, but the Sabercats stifled the Norse's three-point shooting, holding the Iowans to a 0-8 shooting performance from beyond the arc.

Maranatha shot under 30 percent in the second half and just 2-12 from downtown in the second half, as Luther's tough defense forced sub-optimal shooting from Maranatha for the remainder of the night.

This was the second-to-last home game for the Sabercats, who have just two regular-season games before the NCCAA North Region Tournament at Emmaus Bible College, March 1-4.

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

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: shot 29.4 percent from the field
• LC: shot 43.3 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Luther 61-75 last season on February 15, 2022
• Series: Luther now leads the all-time series against Maranatha 4-0

OPPONENTS

• Luther competes in the American Rivers Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Luther has not yet qualified for this year's ARC Tournament
• Luther finished the '21-'22 season with a record of 8-17

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown for their final home game of the season, Saturday, February 18th, at 2:00 p.m. Both parents and seniors will be honored during the game. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.