DEERFIELD, Ill. --- The Sabercats fell 57-84 to NCCAA DI/NAIA opponents Trinity International after a one-sided second quarter put the Sabercats in the hole. Kelsey Johnson's 11 points helped MBU outscore TIU 38-35 in the second half, but the Sabercats took the loss to fall to 8-9 on the year.

An early exchange saw the first quarter stay tied at 10 with five minutes to go, but it was then that a Trojan scoring spree did the terminal damage to the Sabercats. The Trojans held the Sabercats to single digits until the third quarter, as the hosts stormed ahead with a 39-9 run.

A tough second quarter saw the Sabercats make just three shots in 13 attempts from the field, and the Trojans stayed sharp to post just two turnovers to the Sabercats' 11. All told, the Trojans made good use of the Sabercats' give-aways, as the hosts logged 46 points off of turnovers on the night.

At the break, the Sabercats trailed 19-49.

The Sabercats both revived their shooting and tidied up their possession after the halftime break. Four points from four different players made for a balanced offensive effort, while the Sabercats' defense did enough to cool down the Trojans' hot offense. 

Julie Roer and Hannah May came off the bench and combined for eight points while two points from Harmony Bailey moved the bench contribution to double figures.

The Sabercats also out-rebounded the Trojans in the third quarter, and would go on to post 20 points in the final act, which was the most from the team in one quarter on the night. Amanda Rodriguez re-entered to score seven points while Maisy Alldredge knocked down five points to help the Sabercats finish on a high note in spite of the loss. (57-84)

The Sabercats return to NCCAA regional play with a 5:00 p.m. home contest against the Pilots of Providence University College Saturday, Feb. 4. 

You can watch the game live via Facebook Live (/MBUSabercats) or at mbusabercats.com/live.