LEAD

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Sabercats' bid for their first win of the season was put on hold tonight, as they fell 48-59 at Emmaus Bible College.

Katelyn Morrison (17 points) and Callie Morrison (14 points, 13 rebounds) gave it their best shot but couldn't lead the Sabercats to the win in Dubuque.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 48-59 Emmaus
• Venue: Pollard Fieldhouse, Emmaus Bible College
• Location: Dubuque, Iowa
• Attendance: 50
• Records: MBU (0-2), EBC (1-2)

STORY

The Sabercats knew this first stretch of the season would be tough with only a partial roster available to play, and that notion proved itself once again inside the Pollard Fieldhouse.

A slow start cost the Sabercats, as they couldn't get their shots to connect in the opening quarter, allowing Emmaus to take the game over with an 11-2 run. But the Sabercats responded in kind, making it a one-possession game by the end of the opening act (11-13).

As it turned out, the only quarter the Sabercats would win was the third, as they wound up shooting 29.7 percent from the floor - about 11 percent below last year's average. That would come back to haunt them, especially because they had 12 more shots than Emmaus did on the night.

At the end or 40 hard-fought minutes, Emmaus had the last laugh with an 11-point win. Maranatha will now have to wait until January 26 to get revenge on their regional rival.

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Maranatha Starters: 3- Morrison, 13- Garren, 21- Schultz, 25- Morrison, 35- Kruse

STATS

• K. Morrison: 17 PTS, 3 REB
• C. Morrison: 14 PTS, 13 REB
• Allison Kruse: 8 PTS, 12 REB
• Esther Garren: 8 PTS, 6 REB
• Last year: The Sabercats won 62-42 during the 2020 NCCAA North Region Tournament
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series 23-9

OPPONENTS

• Emmaus competes with the Sabercats for the NCCAA North Region
• Emmaus sustained two losses to strong NAIA opponents to start the season

NEXT

The Sabercats will travel to the Twin Cities for a Friday-Saturday matchup with North Central. Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.