January 27, 2023 | by Ashley Nerat

LEAD

MARANATHA, Wis. --  Maranatha broke their 7-game losing streak last night with a 59-54 win against Mount Mary University.

In the win, Katelyn Morrison set her new career high with 30 points on the night. Kyria Teachout also had an outstanding night, setting her career high in rebounds with 14 and career high in points with 16.  Sarah Ureke also had a career-high of 11 rebounds on the night.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 59-54 Mount Mary
• Venue: Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wisconsin
• Attendance: 82
• Records: MBU (3-13), MMU (6-14)

STORY   

It was a long time in waiting, but Maranatha finally finished with the win they'd been working for. The game remained close throughout the whole night, as both teams battled back and forth for the lead. Right when it seemed as if Maranatha was starting to pull away, Mount Mary would jump right back in. With a total of 6 lead changes and 3 ties, it was a game where you did not want to blink. 

Maranatha gained the first possession at the tip, but neither team would find success at the rim for the first 3 minutes of the game. Finally, a lay-up from Katelyn Morrison and a put-back from Kyria Teachout got things rolling for the Sabercats. The first quarter was all Teachout. She went completely off, grabbing boards, blocking shots, stealing the ball, and making shot after shot. She went 6-8 in the first quarter, finishing with 12 of the Sabercat's 14 points.

In the second quarter, the Blue Angels made things a little harder for the Sabercats, causing 7 turnovers and earning 3 trips to the free-throw line. Luckily for Maranatha, their opponents struggled to make their free shots, which helped the Sabercats hold on to a small lead. The first three-pointer of the night for the Sabercats came from Katelyn Morrison, which helped her team head to the locker room with a 25-21 lead at half. 

Maranatha returned after halftime looking a little off. Mount Mary quickly snatched their opportunity and took a 27-25 lead at the start of the third. But this woke the Sabercats up and they went back to work. The rest of the game was all Katelyn Morrison, who scored 21 points in the second half. She finished the night with more points than her last three games combined, ending with 30 on the night and breaking her previous career high of 28. 

The Sabercats got things done with a 59-54 win over the Blue Angels, their third win of the season. Coming up Maranatha will have a few more interesting match-ups as they face Faith and Emmaus, two NCCAA North Region rivals. Maranatha will also meet Mount Mary once more before the season ends, this time traveling to Blue Angel territory. 

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

STATS

• Katelyn Morrison: 30 PTS*, 12 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL
• Kyria Teachout: 16 PTS*, 14 REB*, 1 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK
• Sarah Ureke: 5 PTS, 11 REB*, 2 AST, 2 STL
• Box score
• MBU: shot 36.4 percent from the field
• MMU: shot 28.6 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha defeated Mount Mary 81-25 last season, January 27, 2022
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Mount Mary 30-9 

(*) career-high

OPPONENTS

• Mount Mary competes in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Mount Mary finished the '21-'22 season winless with an 0-18

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown for an NCCAA North Region match-up against Faith Baptist Bible College, on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.