NEW ULM, Minn. -- Despite staying neck and neck with Martin Luther, finishing with a one-point second half difference, Maranatha couldn't work their way out of their early first half deficit. They fell to the 44-76, giving them an 0-2 start to the season as Martin Luther moved to 2-1. 

Paige Joiner was the lead scorer on the night, finishing just two shy of her career-high with 16-points. The Knights were led by freshman Ava Stein who finished with 13. 
 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 44-76 Martin Luther
• Venue: Luther Student Center Gymnasium - Martin Luther College
• Location: New Ulm, Minn.
• Attendance: 178
• Records: MBU (0-2), MLC (2-1)

STORY 
Coming off of tough loss to open their season, Maranatha had a stronger start against Martin Luther, keeping their deficit to single digits for the majority of the first quarter. But in a matter of minutes things quickly took a turn for the worse as the Knights went on a 17-0 run to finish the quarter with a 21-point cushion.

Maranatha continue to struggle in the second quarter, while Martin Luther had only begun to find their spark. The Knights secured a 31 point lead to finish off the half, sending the Sabercats to locker room trailing 18-49.

But something changed for Maranatha in the second half. Their scramble defense seemed to fluster their opponents who went 5-20 from the field in the third quarter. On the other end of the quart the Sabercats were starting to see the ball go into the hoop, more than doubling their shooting percentage from the first two quarters. 

Maranatha fought hard until the end. In the second half-alone Maranatha trailed by only a single point. But their first half deficit had proven to be too deep a hole to climb out of and they fell 44-76.

Paige Joiner led her team on the night with 16 points, just two shy of her career-high. She added to her stats with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, giving her a solid night overall. 
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Maranatha Starters: 4-Steuerwald, 10-Joiner, 12- Cook, 13- Teachout (C), 21-Mikkelson (C)

STATS 

• MBU: shot 27.4 percent from the field
• MLC: shot 43.4 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha lost 33-76 to Martin Luther last season on January 23
• Series: Martin Luther currently leads the all-time series against Maranatha 8-2

OPPONENTS

• MLC competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA Dlll)
• MLC finished the '23-24 season with an 12-13 record
• MLC went 2-0 against Maranatha season in back-to-back games.

NEXT

The Sabercats return to Watertown for their home opener against Blackburn on Tuesday at 5 P.M. CST Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.