December 9, 2023 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

ANKENY, Iowa -- Maranatha left the Faith Christmas Classic two-for-two with a victory over Calvary yesterday and a 49-45 victory over Faith today. There was a lot to celebrate over the weekend as multiple players stepped up both offensively and defensively. 

Freshman Paige Joiner earned herself a career-high on the day as she led the team with 18 points. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 49-45 Faith
• Venue: Nettleton Courts - Faith Baptist Bible College
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Event: Faith Christmas Classic
• Attendance: 189
• Records: MBU (4-5), FBBC (2-6)

STORY 

It was a slow start to the game as neither team could find a finish at the basket after the first couple of minutes. At 7:28, Lindsay Mikkelson was finally able to get the game started by sinking a three to put Maranatha on the board. Jumpers by Paige Joiner and Katelyn Brown quickly put the Sabercats at a 7-0 advantage over the Eagles. 

The Sabercats took advantage of the Eagles' defensive 2-3 zone, as Mikkelson and Joiner both found some rythm beyond the arc. Of the seven total three's Maranatha finished with, Joiner recorded four and Mikkelson recorded two. 

The two teams went on to battled back and forth for the remainder of the first half, but Maranatha was able to maintain their lead all the way through. They entered half-time with a 29-22 lead over Faith.

But the Sabercats needed to make some adjustments coming out in the second half. Not only did Faith switch to a man defense, but Maranatha also lost their only bit of height after Kyria Teachout went down at the end of the second quarter. 

Still, the Sabercats were able to remain on top, despite Faith bringing to score to just two-points in the fourth quarter. Coming off of the bench, Kaili Swaffer recorded four critical points for Maranatha... points that would end up being the final difference for the two team. Swaffer also grabbed some important rebounds, an statistical area that Maranatha had been struggling with all night, finishing with a total of 21 compared to Faith's 40. 

With just eight seconds to go in the game, Faith had brought their deficit to just one point (46-45 MBU). But Paige Joiner sunk two critical free throws, giving her team a three-point edge and making things more difficult for Faith.

The Eagle's failed to convert their shot opportunity leaving them with no other choice but to foul Sarah Ureke who went one for two from the line, putting the game out of reach with just .8 seconds to go. Maranatha finished on top with a score of 49-45. 

--

Maranatha Starters: 5-Ureke, 10-Joiner, 13-Teachout, 21-Mikkelson, 25-Brown

STATS

• Box Score
• Joiner: 18 PTS*, 2 STL
• Brown: 7 PTS
• Mikkelson: 8 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
• Ureke: 6 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL
• Swaffer: 4 PTS*, 3 REB, 2 STL
• MBU: shot 34.6 percent from the field
• FBBC: shot 42.9 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha defeated Faith 61-54 on February 7, 2023
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Faith 17-1

*Career-High

OPPONENTS

• Faith competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Faith also competes in the NCCAA North Region 
• Faith finished the '22-23 season with an 18-13 record
• Faith fell to North Central in last year's NCCAA North Region Semi-final

NEXT

The Sabercats return to Watertown to face Rockford, on Tuesday at 5 P.M. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.