LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A cold start set the tone for a long night at Luther Prep, as Maranatha fell 62-89 to Martin Luther College in the first of a two-game series.
Caleb Moultrie led Maranatha with 26 points on the night on 8-15 shooting, but the graduate student was the only Sabercat in double figures on an otherwise disappointing night.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 62-89 Martin Luther 
• Venue: Luther Preparatory School
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 300
• Records: MBU (3-12), MLC (3-13)

STORY
Martin Luther played the "hosts" in this one, playing in front of a spirited student section for one of their primary feeder schools. The energy in the gym was palpable, and the Knights used it as their sixth man right out of the gate, muscling their way to a 2-13 lead in the opening minutes.

Even after the poor start, Maranatha rallied for a 12-5 run of their own, capped off by a couple of free throws from Moultrie, but the 14-19 margin was as close as the Sabercats could come for the remainder of the half and ultimately, the remainder of the game. A layup from Luther Prep alum, Thomas Balge, increased the Knights' lead to 15 going into the halftime break, and the Sabercats had a hill to climb in the second 20.

The Knights led by as much as 29 points in the second half, as they consistently shot at a rate better than 50 percent on the day.
Maranatha, on the other hand, hovered just over 30 percent from the field, as the Knights' physicality made it a hard night for the Sabercats.

Balge did most of the damage for Martin Luther, putting up a career-best 32 points on the night. Luke Fix was the only other player in double digits, scoring 10 points on the night.
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Maranatha Starters: 2-Cox, 12-Jensen, 21-Moultrie, 33-Mertes, 44-Cashner

STATS

• MBU: shot 32.3 percent from the field
• MLC: shot 51.5 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell 58-76 against Martin Luther on Jan. 24, 2023
• Series: Maranatha now trails the series against Martin Luther 6-10

OPPONENTS

• Martin Luther competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA-Dlll)
• Martin Luther finished the 22'-23 season with a record of 2-23

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown to take on Martin Luther College at Maranatha, tomorrow at 6 P.M. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.