December 1, 2023 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Maranatha couldn't get the job down today on the road. They fell 62-91 against the No. 5 ranked North Central University.

Will Shultz led the Sabercats in both points and rebounds, finishing with 19 and 13 respectively. With these numbers, Shultz has recorded his sixth double-double of the season. Brandt Cashner finished with a career-high 10 points on the night.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 62-91 No. 5 North Central
• Venue: Clark-Danielson Gymnasium - North Central University
• Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
• Attendance: 150
• Records: MBU (2-4), NCU (3-4)

STORY (To Come)

North Central came out full force at the start of the game, cruising to a 22-7 lead over Maranatha within the first 10 minutes of play. But the Rams were caught off guard as the Sabercats went on a 14-4 run to close the gap. 

A three-pointer from Mike Mertes tied the score up at 28 with just under five minutes to go. The two teams continued to battle and Maranatha was even able to take their first lead of the game with a jumper from Will Shultz (32-31 MBU). But the lead only lasted for a few seconds before the Rams took control back and finished the half with a four-point lead (38-34).

North Central seemed to come out in the second half as a brand-new team. They ran the Sabercats dry, outscoring them 53-28. They seemed to be on fire, finishing with a shooting percentage of 50.7 percent, compared to the Sabercats who shot under 30 percent. 

Maranatha's strength in the game came from earning trips to the free-throw line. They went 21-25 giving them an 84 free-throw percentage. 

In the end, Maranatha ended up falling 62-91 to their opponents.

--

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

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: shot 27.5 percent from the field
• NCU: shot 50.7 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell to North Central 52-97 on November 2, 2023 in the NCCAA North Region Tournament
• Series: Maranatha trails the all-time series against North Central 8-12

OPPONENTS

• North Central competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA-DIII)
• North Central also competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association North Region
• North Central finished the '22-'23 season with a record of 17-11
• North Central fell to Crown College (60-61) in the NCCAA North Region Championship

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on Northwestern (Minn.) tomorrow at 3:00 P.M. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.