January 25, 2023 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

MARANATHA, Wis. -- In their second face-off of the season, Maranatha fell to Martin Luther 33-60. Despite the loss, the Sabercats showed improvement since their last meeting with the Knights where they lost 34-79. 

Katelyn Morrison led her team with 12-points on the night. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 33-60 Martin Luther
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location:Watertown, Wisconsin
• Attendance: 280
• Records: MBU (2-13), MLC (8-10)

STORY   

It was another energetic start for the Sabercats in yesterday's game against Martin Luther. After winning the jump ball, Maranatha quickly took the lead with a jumper from Katelyn Morrison. For the first half of the quarter, things remained neck and neck as the two teams battled to be ahead. The Knights fought for a 5-2 lead, but the Sabercats pushed back and regained control with a 9-7 lead with just under five minutes to go in the first. This would unfortunately be the last lead Maranatha would see though after Martin Luther finished the quarter with a 13-1 run to give them a 20-10 lead. 

The second quarter is what would lead to the Sabercats demise. They committed 9 turnovers which gave their opponents the opportunity they needed to pull away. Finishing only once at the basket in the entire second quarter, the Sabercats entered the lockeroom with a 20 point deficit (13-33). 

It was the second half of the game that the Sabercats played their strongest. They were only outscored by 6 in the third and 1 in the fourth. They also caused more turnovers than they committed in the seond half of play. Even so, it was Maranatha's turnovers that was the deciding factor in the matchup. Martin Luther ended with 32 points off of turnovers and defeated the Sabercats by a 28 point margin. One can only wonder how the game may have been different had the Sabercats handled the ball a little better.

Even in the loss, the Sabercats are continueing to show improvement. For the second game in a row, they started out with high energy and stayed within 10 points of their opponents at the end of the first quarter. The Sabercats have shown more aggression going after the ball and have done a better job at pushing the ball up the floor in fast break opportunities. 

The team is focused on looking ahead to the games to come, taking things one team at a time. They will remain at home for another opportunity to play, tomorrow at 7 p.m., where they will be facing Mount Mary University for the first time this season. 

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Maranatha Starters: 4- Steuerwald, 5-Ureke, 12- Ab. Herbster, 13- Teachout, 25- Morrison

STATS

• Box score
• MBU: shot 24.4 percent from the field
• MLC: shot 35.9 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Martin Luther 34-79 on January 10, 2023
• Series: Maranatha trails the all-time series against Martin Luther 2-6 

OPPONENTS

• Martin Luther competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Martin Luther finished the '21-'22 season with an 8-18 record and a first-round UMAC tournament loss to North Central

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown to face off with Mount Mary, on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.