LEAD

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- After a halftime scare in the first round of regionals, the Sabercats pulled away late in the game to beat Emmaus 78-62 and punch a ticket to tomorrow night's NCCAA Midwest Region Semifinal.

With tonight's win, the Sabercats will play the top-seeded Great Lakes Christian College Crusaders tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. EST with the winner punching a ticket to Saturday's NCCAA Midwest Region Championship.

OVERVIEW

• Result: #4 Maranatha 78-62 #5 Emmaus
• Venue: Aldrich Athletic Center - Grace Christian University
• Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Regionals - First Round
• Attendance: 81
• Records: MBU (7-17), EBC (6-24)

STORY
The Sabercats hit the ground running, putting up an 11-3 lead early on in the first half, and they maintained a safe distance from the Eagles throughout the half. But the Eagles' determined play was pernicious, as the Iowans came back to within one point entering halftime.

the Eagles grabbed a four-point lead early on in the second half thanks to a couple of jumpers from Seth Kertulla, but Maranatha weathered the storm 

The biggest moment of the second half came around the eight-minute mark when Brayden Cox completed a four-point play, followed by a stop at the other end of the floor and a subsequent layup from Jensen to restore a double-digit lead.
David Gingery was on hand to extend things even further, as the first-year Sabercat scored five straight points with about five minutes left to give the Sabercats a 71-56 lead.

From there, it was all about game management, as the Sabercats wore the clock down to secure the 16-point win and a chance to qualify for the regional championship. 

Maranatha Starters: 2-Cox, 12-Jensen, 13- Shank, 21-Moultrie, 44- Cashner

STATS

• Maranatha: shot 44.3% from the field
• Emmaus: shot 37.3% from the field
• Caleb Moultrie: 18 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST
• Jensen: 18 PTS, 10 REB
• Cox: 18 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
• Last time: Maranatha defeated Emmaus 70-67 in comeback fashion on February, 15 2024
• Series: Maranatha currently leads the all-time series against Emmaus 40-8

OPPONENTS

• Emmaus competes alongside Maranatha in the NCCAA Midwest Region
• Emmaus has gone 0-2 against Maranatha in this years regular season
• Emmaus finished the '22-'23 season with a 9-16 overall record

NEXT

The Sabercats will stay in Grand Rapids to face teh #1-seeded Great Lakes Christian College Crusaders tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. EST in the NCCAA Midwest Region Semifinal. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.