January 25, 2022 | by Taylor Pill

LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- It was a close game until the end, but the Sabercats saw the game slip away 54-64 to the Lincoln Christian University Red Lions.

Callie Morrison and Katelyn Morrison combined for 40 of the Sabercats' 54 points. Callie's 23-point performance was her sixth consecutive 20-point game.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 54-64 Lincoln Christian
• Venue: Main Gymnasium, Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 61
• Records: MBU (3-10), LCU (5-11) 

STORY

The first quarter is about gaining ground, but neither team truly dominated the territory. A Lexi McClure layup put the Red Lions up by six points with 1:20 on the clock, but a big rebound and jumper from Tierney Bosnyak pulled the Sabercats back to within three (14-17) just before the first quarter ended. So far, Maranatha was creating decent looks at the bucket and keeping themselves within striking distance.

Simple.

�� Kyria Teachout for ✌️ and we trail by ✌️

(11-13) x 1:34 1Q pic.twitter.com/Pt0wa6buq7

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) January 25, 2022

Maranatha struggled with their possession late in the second quarter, allowing the Red Lions to pull away to a nine-point lead heading into the halftime break.

For the first half, Lincoln Christian shot just above the 50-percent mark while Maranatha came in just under.

The third quarter was frustrating for the Sabercats, who just couldn't get their shots to fall, going just 1-11 from the floor before Callie Morrison banked in a short jumper to break the drought. Late jumpers from Callie and Katelyn Morrison brought Maranatha to within five, but a sendoff jumper from Savana Powell-Goodman beat the buzzer and gave the Red Lions a 49-40 lead heading into the final quarter. The Sabercats needed momentum.

Maranatha needed to force the issue, and ended up forcing their shots down the stretch amid relentless pressure from the Red Lion defense. Lincoln Christian eventually extended their lead to 10 to close out the hard-earned win on the Maranatha campus.

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Maranatha Starters: 3- C. Morrison, 4- Massey, 13- Teachout, 20- Rogers, 25- K. Morrison // Lincoln Christian starters: 2- Powell-Goodman, 13- Yanko, 23- Tenley, 32- Smith, 40- Hall

STATS

• Callie: 23 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST
• Callie: now has six consecutive 20-point games
• Katelyn: 17 PTS, 2 REB
• MBU: 34.5 FG%
• Last time: Maranatha defeated Lincoln Christian 84-69 on February 9, 2021
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Lincoln Christian 31-13

OPPONENTS

• Lincoln Christian competes in the Continental Athletic Conference (NAIA)
• Lincoln Christian competes also in the NCCAA DI and used to compete with Maranatha in the NCCAA DII Midwest region

NEXT

The Sabercats continue the homestand against Mount Mary on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.