November 16, 2023 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Four of five starters hit double-digit points tonight, as the Sabercats topped Emmaus 86-70 to get off to a winning start in the Midwest Region and in their home games for the 23-24 season.

Will Schultz led the efforts with his fourth consecutive double-double, scoring 22 points with 11 rebounds. Noah Jensen and Caleb Moultrie registered 15 points apiece as the Sabercats enter Thanksgiving Break on a winning note.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 86-70 Emmaus
• Venue: MBU Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region - Home Opener
• Attendance: 210
• Records: MBU (1-3), EBC (1-4)

STORY

The energy in the gym was contagious and the Sabercats felt it right from the start. Schultz led the way with 10 first-half points, controlling the floor along with Moultrie as the Sabercats gained some early momentum. But the duo was just two of seven Sabercats that contributed points in some well-balanced opening exchanges. Schultz's jumper at the 13:47 mark gave Maranatha a 13-point lead at 22-9 and the home gym was loud.

Tony Garcia provided a spark off the bench, as the freshman out of Maranatha Baptist Academy put up five points in the first half. Garcia nailed his first three-pointer in University colors on the home floor, extending the lead out to 10. Maranatha rode that 10-point lead until late in the first half, as Emmaus pulled back to within five points to go into the halftime break.

The second half was easygoing for all but a few minutes around the 12-10-minute mark. Joshua Stewart hit a three-pointer to pull Emmaus to within four points - the closest margin of the game - and the Sabercats needed to batten down the hatches. Noah Jensen did most of that work, putting up four unanswered points, and when Brayden Cox made a layup to get the lead back to 10, the Sabercats had restored order.

That lead would gradually increase to the final horn, as the Sabercats closed out a balanced team win, the first win of their season, and a key performance to open home games for 2023-24.

OUR HOUSE ��

✅ ��

�� Maranatha 86
�� Emmaus 70

FINAL pic.twitter.com/Q5Ez81e8kd

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) November 17, 2023

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Maranatha Starters: 2-Cox, 21-Moultrie, 30-Shultz, 33-Mertes, 34-Jensen

STATS

• Box Score
• Schultz: has double-doubles in all four games this season
• Jensen: career-high 12 rebounds
• Schultz, Jensen: both recorded double-doubles
• MBU: shot 47.1 percent from the field
• EBC: shot 35.1 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell 66-69 against Emmaus in the final game of last year's regular season, on February 23, 2023
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Emmaus 37-7

OPPONENTS

• Emmaus competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Emmaus also competes with Maranatha in the NCCAA DII Midwest region
• Emmaus finished the '21-'22 season with a record of 9-16

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown, Wisconsin to play Principia on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 5:00 P.M. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.