LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis.- The Kuyper College Cougars came out shooting and never looked back, putting up a 68-49 win over Maranatha despite a strong second half from the Sabercats.

Kaili Swaffer had a career day, putting up career-highs in points (15) and rebounds (14) for her first career double-double. Katelyn Brown had 13 points.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 49-68 Kuyper
• Venue: MBU Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region - Regular Season
• Attendance: 127
• Records: MBU (7-15, 4-4), KC (14-9. 4-2)

STORY 
Kuyper came out shooting and driving, as the Cougars looked to be much more of a reinforced unit from their performance at home in January. The Cougar defense was stifling, as Maranatha went just 1-9 from the field in the first act. The visitors were more than adequate in the opening half, putting up 20-plus points in each of the first two quarters, led by the determined play of Shonyah Hawkins and Aniya Fisher. 

The Cougars limited the Sabercats to single digits in each of the first two quarters, paving the way for a 44-15 lead going into the locker room. Maranatha was struggling to find a way through, shooting at a clip of just 15 percent.

The Sabercats ironed out some wrinkles from the first half, as they won the third quarter 15-14 thanks to some patient offense and improved shot selection. Maranatha's newfound energy continued into the fourth quarter where they outscored the Cougars 19-10. 

Unfortunately the strong second-half was not enough to undue the damage brought from the first and the Sabercats fell 49-68.

Kaili Swaffer was the first Sabercat into double digits on the night, hitting her first career 10-point game with a nice drive and layup early on in the fourth quarter. Things got better for the South Carolina native when she snatched her 10th rebound of the game, marking her first career double-double
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Maranatha Starters: 4-Steuerwald, 5-Ureke, 10-Joiner, 21-Mikkelson, 25-Brown

STATS

• MBU: shot 30 percent from the field
• KC: shot 45.6 percent from the field
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Kuyper 61-64 on January 13, 2024
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Kuyper 10-2

OPPONENTS

• Kuyper competes in the NCCAA Midwest Region alongside Maranatha 
• This is Kuyper's first season back with the program after multiple years off.

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown, Wis. to face Mount Mary University on Thursday, February 15 at 7 P.M. This is the final game of the Sabercat's regular season. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.