December 3, 2021 | by Nate Croswell

LEAD

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Sabercats lost to North Central 84-34 in a short-handed match.

Callie Morrison dropped 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the tough loss.

OVERVIEW

• Result: No. 7 Maranatha 34-84 No. 3 North Central
• Venue: Clark-Danielson Gymnasium
• Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
• Attendance: 50
• Records: MBU (1-2), NCU (7-0) 

STORY

With two starters and a sixth man out for the top ten matchup with North Central, the Sabercats were quickly outmatched from the opening tipoff. The Rams started taking advantage of the Sabercats' defense by taking several shots, while their defense bullied the Sabercat offense and only allowed them to score on a single free throw through the first six minutes. By the end of the first quarter, the opponent led 18-3. They continued to pour in the baskets, outscoring themselves in the second quarter with 23 points. The Rams' halftime lead was a grim 41-10.

The second half provided a bit more improvement from the Sabercat offense. They dropped 24 points in the second half, including 17 in the fourth quarter. However, the defense was not able to hold the Rams at bay as they dropped another 19 and 24 points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, resulting in a final score of 84-34.

Callie Morrison was the biggest contributor for the Sabercats with 10 points and 11 rebounds, eight of those rebounds on the defensive side of the glass. Katelyn Morrison also dropped 10 points to help the Sabercats' offense improve throughout the second half. Tierney Bosnyak added eight points in her first start of the season. Unfortunately, the Rams' Kadija Conteh dropped 21 points and Emily DiGiorgio added 20 points of her own to power the North Central offense through the Sabercats, proving why they are the Number 3 team currently.

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Maranatha Starters: 3- C. Morrison, 5- Reid, 25- K. Morrison, 31- Bosnyak, 32- J. Brown // North Central starters: 1- Conteh, 3- Talso, 20- Hagstrom, 25- Robinson, 35- DiGiorgio

STATS

• Callie Morrison: 10 PTS, 11 REB
• Katelyn Morrison: 10 PTS
• MBU: 22.4% FG
• NCU: 40.5% FG
• Last time: North Central defeated Maranatha 74-45 on November 14, 2020 
• Series: North Central leads the all-time series 11-8

OPPONENTS

• North Central competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• North Central has rejoined the North region alongside Maranatha
• North Central went 18-4 last year and is on pace to finish better than that with a 7-0 start

NEXT

The Sabercats will stay in Minneapolis tomorrow to take on Northwestern (Minn.) at 2:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.