LEAD

WYOMING, Mich.-- Maranatha got their first win of the New Year, finishing 60-48 over Grace in an NCCAA Midwest match-up. 

Katelyn Brown led the team in points, earning 25 on the day. Sophomore Lindsay Mikkelson contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds in the win, earning her first career double-double and setting a career high in rebounds. Kaili Swaffer also earned a career high with six rebounds.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 60-48 Grace
• Venue: Aldrich Athletic Center - Grace Christian University
• Location: Wyoming, Mich.
• Attendance: 40
• Records: MBU (5-9), GCU (1-10)

STORY 

The Sabercats took the floor confident and ready to play, hungry for their first win of the new year after a disappoint 0-2 start. After having some slow starts, Maranatha knew they needed to come out with a lot more energy... which is exactly what they did. 

Although Grace grabbed the first lead, and kept ahead of the Sabercats throughout the first quarter, Maranatha refused to let this game get away from them. A pair of three-pointers from Lindsay Mikkelson and another from Katelyn Brown kept them in the game. With the score all tied up 15-15 at the first buzzer, Maranatha was eager to get back to work. 

Brown started the second quarter off with a jumper to give her team their first lead of the game. This small lead was all the encouragement the Sabercats needed as they went into halftime with 11 defensive stops in a row, which in turn led to an 11-0 run (35-24 MBU).

The defensive stop streak ended at the stop of the third with a basket from Grace's Jada Reese. But the Maranatha lead held strong thanks to baskets from Sarah Ureke, Chloe Steuerwald, and Mikkelson. 

Ahead 44-36 at the start of the fourth, Maranatha showed nothing but confidence as they went out to finish the final 10 minutes. But some full court pressure from the Tigers stopped the Sabercats in their tracks as they quickly gave up four turnovers in a matter of ten seconds. But the game stayed in Maranatha's favor as Grace failed to convert these opportunities. 

After two minutes of no one scoring, Ureke was able to get things rolling once more for the Sabercats with a couple of free-throws. In the end, Maranatha had a twelve point lead over Grace, winning the game 60-48. 
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Maranatha Starters: 4-Steuerwald, 5-Ureke, 10-Joiner, 21-Mikkelson, 25-Brown

STATS

• Box Score
• MBU: shot 36.2 percent from the field
• GCU: shot 28.8 percent from the field
• Brown: 25 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL
• +Mikkelson: 10 PTS, 11 REB*, 3 AST, 2 STL
• Joiner: 9 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST
• Steuerwald: 7 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 BLK
• Swaffer: 5 PTS, 6 REB*
• Ureke: 4 PTS, 11 REB, 4 AST, 4 STL
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Grace 77-56 on February 18, 2023
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Grace 29-13

*Career-High :: +Double-Double
OPPONENTS

• Grace competes in the NCCAA Midwest Region alongside Maranatha 
• Grace finished the '22-23 season with an 11-12 record

NEXT

The Sabercats stay Michigan to face Kuyper College in another NCCAA Midwest matchup, tomorrow at 1 P.M. EST. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.