LEAD

ST. Bonifacious, Minn. -- The Sabercats stormed out to a fast start and never looked back, taking down Crown College by about 20 points.

Kiersten Johnson led everyone with 16 points, and the Sabercats had four people in double digits in the big road win.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 78-59 Crown 
• Venue: Wild Athletic Center, Crown College
• Location: St. Bonifacious, Minn.
• Attendance: 189
• Records: MBU (10-2), Crown (4-13)

STORY

With a new starting lineup, the Sabercats looked to be in peak form, as they would post 20-plus points in each of the first three quarters. Crown stayed close to start the game, but their resolve quickly faded, as Maranatha began to pull away thanks to six late points from Karley Johnson. With a 22-10 lead after the first 10 minutes, the Sabercats looked to be in full control.

And in control they were. The Sabercats followed that first-quarter performance with a 25-point showing in the second frame. When Johnson nailed a three-pointer with just over two minutes left in the half, the Sabercats were in the driver's seat with a 22-point lead, and the Storm knew the loss wasn't preventable. Six late points from Sarah Rogers extended the damage, and going into the halftime break, MBU had an insurmountable lead at 47-21.

Katelyn Schultz hit four straight free throws in the third quarter to give the Sabercats their biggest lead of the game (34 points), and even after a slow fourth quarter, the Sabercats had polished off a resounding win in Minnesota. Kiersten Johnson added to her six-point total with 10 points in the fourth quarter alone, and the freshman closed things out to restart what could be a potential new winning streak.

--

MBU Starters: 3- C. Morrison, 12- Ka. Johnson, 13- Ke. Johnson, 25- K. Morrison, 32- Anderson

STATS

• Kiersten Johnson: 16 PTS, 
• Kelsey: 15 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 6 STL
• Callie Morrison: 13 PTS, 6 AST
• MBU: Shot 50 percent on the day
• MBU: 37 bench points
• Last time: The Sabercats beat Crown 61-46 on Parents' Day last year
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series 8-6

OPPONENTS

• Crown competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Crown currently holds a 1-8 UMAC record
• Crown will only play two games outside of NCAA DIII competition this year

NEXT

The Sabercats will host Emmaus Bible College tomorrow for a 5:00 p.m. tip. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.