ANKENY, Iowa --- Against the defending national champions Arlington Baptist, the Sabercats fought well but eventually fell 53-93 to the #1-seeded Patriots this afternoon. The loss marks the end of the Sabercats' title hopes, but they will compete tomorrow in the third-place game against the winner of the second semifinal later this evening.

Kelsey Johnson led MBU with 14 points and was backed up by 10 points from senior All-American Hanna Glaze. Karley Johnson contributed six points and 12 boards.

Turnovers were the main theme of an off-kilter first quarter for MBU, as the Sabercats coughed it up some 11 times in the opening five minutes under heavy pressure from the Patriots. Arlington took advantage of the miscues and built a 10-2 lead in that opening exchange. The Sabercats began to solve their problems late in the quarter, however, and found themselves just seven points back at the end of the act through a well-balanced offensive effort. (15-22)

Hanna Glaze knocked down a three-point shot early in the second quarter to pull the Sabercats back to within four points, but Arlington proved their #1-seeded worth, as they responded with eight unanswered points to increase their lead to 12. Thanks to the efforts of a busy Kelsey Johnson, the Sabercats pulled back to within 10 points twice more in the second quarter, but Arlington's up-tempo offense proved to be too much to contain. An 11-2 Arlington run put the Patriots at a 16-point advantage entering halftime. (30-46)

Kelsey Johnson's eight second-quarter points meant that she led MBU with eight points entering halftime.

Despite the Sabercats' efforts to make the game competitive again, Arlington showed the validity of their #1 seed and their national title defense, as they all but put the game away in the decisive third quarter. The Patriots posted 20 or more points for the third time in the game, and Jayzhia Softly was the primary threat when she posted nine unanswered points single-handedly through the middle stages of the third quarter. The Patriots' pressure forced more unwelcome turnovers from the Sabercats, and when the third quarter was done, Arlington held a comfortable 22-point advantage. (44-66)

The turnovers were the difference-maker in the end, as the Sabercats were forced to yield possession 41 times to the hard-pressing Patriots' defense. The fourth quarter turned out to be a formality, as Arlington never looked back from their early lead, pulling away with a 27-9 advantage during the final 10-minute stretch. The defending champs' pedal-to-the-metal mentality saw them secure both the win and a place in the national championship game. (53-93)

Despite being forced into turnovers, MBU shot an above-average 40.7 percent from the field and collected 32 rebounds.

The Sabercats will play in the third-place game tomorrow morning at 10:45 a.m. Central, and will await the result of the Randall University/Kentucky Christian University Semifinal, which will determine MBU's opponent.

To watch the game live, click here | To find live stat information, visit mbusabercats.com/composite to find the link for the live stats.