November 10, 2023 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

MOBERLY, Mo. -- In a game that came down to the last second, Maranatha fell to Central Christian College of the Bible by a score of 74-76.

Noah Jensen and Will Shultz led the Sabercats on the night with 15 and 14 points respectively. Shultz recorded a double-double as he grabbed 10 rebounds on the night as well. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 74-76 Central Christian
• Venue: Ferneau Center - Central Christian College of the Bible
• Location: Moberly, Mo.
• Attendance: 70
• Records: MBU (0-1), CCCB (4-2)

STORY 

In their first game of the '23-'24 season, Maranatha came out looking strong by quickly earning an 11-4 lead in the first five minutes of play. The Sabercats kept control of the game for ten minutes of the first half, but Central slowly gained momentum and took their first lead of the game with 10:02 on the clock (19-17 CCCB). 

The Saints were able to build a little cushion, but with a couple of baskets from freshman Tony Garcia, the Sabercats were able to climb back. With just 16 seconds to go in the half, Brayden Cox tied the score up at 33-33. 

From the start of the second half, both teams continued to fight tooth and nail, shifting possession of the lead multiple times. Neither team could seem to pull away from the other with the biggest lead of the half being just six points in favor of the Saints (65-59).

With just about a minute and a half to go in the game, Will Shultz hit three free throws to give Maranatha a 72-69 lead. After Central took control once again, Cox scored the tying bucket with 20 seconds to go in the game. 

Maranatha needed just one stop for a chance to bring the game to overtime. But their luck ran out as Central's Raheem Brizendine converted with just one second left on the clock, sending the Sabercats home with a 76-74 loss to open the season. 

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Maranatha Starters: 2-Cox, 12-Jensen, 21-Moultrie, 30-Shultz, 33-Mertes

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: shot 51.8 percent from the field
• CCCB: shot 42.1 percent from the field
• Last time: This is the first meeting between the two teams
• Series: 0-1

OPPONENTS

• Central Christian competes in the NCCAA Central Region
• Central Christian also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference (MCCC)
• Central Christian finished the 22'-23' season with a record of 12-19
• Central Christian fell last season to Faith in the NCCAA North Region sem-finals

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Moberly to take on Kansas Christian, tomorrow at 3:00 P.M. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.