March 1, 2023 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

DUBUQUE, IOWA -- Maranatha went to work today, taking an early lead and never giving it up. The No. 9 Sabercats took down No. 8 Central Christian College of the Bible, 60-51.

The win sends the Sabercats to the North Region Quarterfinal tomorrow, where they will take on the #1-seeded North Central University Rams at 1:30 p.m. Central.

OVERVIEW

• Result: No. 9 Maranatha 60-51 No. 8 Central 
• Venue: Pollard Fieldhouse - Emmaus Bible College
• Location: Dubuque, Iowa
• Event: NCCAA North Region Tournament
• Attendance: 67
• Records: MBU (6-16), CCCB (9-19)

STORY

Maranatha started the NCCAA North Region Tournament off with some energy. Katelyn Morrison took charge early for her team, putting the Sabercats on the board with their first 10 points of the game. While Maranatha grabbed the first lead, Central fought to stay in the game, tying things up at 10 with 2:24 to go in the first quarter. But Kyria Teachout wouldn't let her opponents get the upper hand; she immediately hit long-range two to put Maranatha back on top. With only a 13-12 lead at the first buzzer, the confident Sabercats were not shaken.

Maranatha started the second quarter with a nice 10-2 run. But despite Maranatha's best efforts, Central refused to let things get out of hand. The teams went into halftime with Marantha leading 29-26.

This was still anybody's game. 

The second half started with a turnover from the Sabercats that led to a layup from Central, bringing the game back to just one point. But Morrison was not a fan of that score and answered back with five straight points.

The game-changer in the second half came down to free throws.  The Sabercats shot 18-26 from the line in the last two quarters combined. While free throws have proved to be a problem for Maranatha in past games, the Sabercats got the job done today when the pressure was on. 

All of those free throws meant that Central was in some major foul trouble. By the final seconds of the game, the Saints were left with only four players on the court as three had fouled out. 

Maranatha finished off their opponents with a 60-51 victory. The win advances them into tomorrow where they take on No. 1 North Central. 

In today's win, Katelyn Morrison came to play. She led her team, finishing with 28 points and going 11-15 from the line before fouling out in the final minutes of the game. Kyria Teachout and Chloe Steuerwald were also notable in today's win, both setting new career-highs. Teachout finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks (career-high). Steuerwald chipped in seven points and set a career-high with 10 rebounds. 

--

Maranatha Starters: 4- Steuerwald, 5- Ureke, 13- Teachout, 25- Morrison, 35- Thompson

STATS

• Steuerwald: 7PTS, 10REB*, 2AST
• Teachout: 16PTS, 7REB, 5BLK*
• Box Score
• MBU: shot 39.5 percent from the field
• CCCB: shot 27.9 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha beat Central 54-44 in the first round of last season's NCCAA North Region Tournament. 
• Series: Maranatha currently leads the series with Central 2-0.

*Career-High

OPPONENTS

• Central Christian competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Central Christian also competes with Maranatha in the NCCAA DII North Region
• Central Christian is ranked No. 8 in the NCCAA North Region
• Central Christian placed 6th in the MCCC tournament last week after losing to Emmaus.

NEXT

With the win, the Sabercats advance to play #1 North Central University tomorrow at 3:15 p.m. in the North Region Quarterfinal. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.Find details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.