LEAD
WATERTOWN, Wis. -- In the second meeting for these two teams, Maranatha put up a fight that Great Lakes was not expecting. While the Sabercats fell in the final minutes, 51-61, they showed tremendous improvement from their first meeting where the Crusaders had won by a hefty 45 points.
Katelyn Brown led the Sabercats with 23 points. Lindsay Mikkelson and Paige Joiner each finished in double-digits with 13 and 12 points respectively.
OVERVIEW
- Result: Maranatha 51-61 Great Lakes
- Venue: MBU Gymnasium - Maranatha Baptist University
- Location: Watertown, Wis.
- Event: NCCAA Midwest - Regular Season
- Attendance: 168
- Records: MBU (7-13), GLCC (10-9)
STORY
After falling by 45 points earlier this year to the Crusaders, Maranatha stepped on the court ready to show their opponents they were not just an "easy win". Knowing Great Lakes was hurting for numbers with only a six man roster, the Sabercats game-plan was to come out aggressive and get their opponents in foul trouble early on.
While this plan did work, as the Crusaders No. 3 Randi Fitzgerald quickly put on three fouls in the opening 10 minutes, the Sabercats also got into a little trouble themselves. Katelyn Brown and Sarah Ureke both found themselves with three fouls a piece going into half-time.
Despite this heavy foul trouble for both teams, no one had fouled out by the end of the game. This was an impressive feat. for the Crusaders, as all six girls finished with three to four fouls.
While Maranatha stayed in the game throughout the entire first quarter, the next 10 minutes proved to be the start of their demise. While Maranatha found themselves trailing by only two-points at the start of the second quarter, the Crusaders began to chip away at the Sabercats and earned their largest lead of the game 36-20 with three mintues to go in the half.
Refusing to let Great Lakes get 20 points ahead, Lindsay Mikkelson earned five straight points to give her team a little more hope going into halftime (37-25 GLCC).
The next half was one for the Sabercats as they went on to outscore their opponents 26-24. Katelyn Brown and Paige Joiner went off in the half, carrying the team on their backs, scoring a collective 20 of their 26 points.
Unfortunately, the Crusaders were able to hold on thanks to the cushion they earned in the first half. They ended on top 61-51.
--
Maranatha Starters: 4-Steuerwald, 5-Ureke, 10-Joiner, 21-Mikkelson, 25-Brown
STATS
- MBU: shot 30.4 percent from the field
- GLCC: shot 34.3 percent from the field
- Last time: Maranatha fell to Great Lakes 47-92 on January 11, 2023
- Series: Maranatha and Great Lakes are tied in the all-time series 2-2
OPPONENTS
- Great Lakes competes in the NCCAA Midwest Region alongside Maranatha
- Great Lakes finished the '22-23 season with an 7-25 record
NEXT
The Sabercats travel to Milwaukee, Wis. to face Mount Mary University on Monday, February 5 at 7 P.M. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.
