LANSING, Mich.— Maranatha came out with energy grabbing the first four points of the game and maintaining a small lead for much of the first half. But a small 11-4 second half run for the Crusaders was all that was needed to change the entire pace of the game for Great Lakes. The Sabercats would ultimately fall 66-80 to last years Midwest Regional runner-ups.

Will Shultz and Chris Orsello each led the scoring for Maranatha, earning 19 and 16 points respectively on the night. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 66-80 Great Lakes
• Venue: Doty Center - Great Lakes Christian College
• Location: Lansing, Michigan
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region - Regular Season
• Records: MBU (1-12), GLCC (11-14)

STORY 

Maranatha knew they were up against a tough opponent in the Great Lakes Crusaders. Trying something new, the Sabercats switched up their defense to zone in attempts to keep Great Lakes out of the paint.

The new defense seemed to work in favor of Maranatha, who quickly jumped out to a lead. But after 10 minutes of play, the Crusaders began to warm up, showing the Sabercats that they were a threat from outside the paint as well. After tying up the score at 16 apiece, Great Lakes managed to chip away at the Sabercats to earn a 37-29 lead going into halftime.

While it was still anyone's game coming into the second half, all Great Lakes seemed to need was a small 11-4 run, which seemed to throw Maranatha off track. The Crusaders went on to defeat the Sabercats 80-66, shooting 47 percent from the field.
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Maranatha Starters: 2- Cox (C), 10- Shank, 21- Brock, 24- Orsello, 30- Schultz 

STATS

• MBU shot 35.3 percent from the field
• GLCC shot 47 percent from the field
• W. Shultz: 19 PTS; 7 REB; 2 BLK
• C. Orsello: 16 PTS; 7 REB; 2 BLK
• J. Golliday: 7 PTS; 8 REB
• J. Shank: 2 PTS; 7 REB*
• Last time: Great Lakes defeated Maranatha 96-63 in last years NCCAA Midwest Region Semi-final, on January 27, 2024
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Great Lakes 14-7

OPPONENTS

• Great Lakes competes in the NCCAA Midwest Region alongside Maranatha 
• Great Lakes finished the '23-24 season with an 17-11 record
• Great Lakes took fell to Grace Christian in last years NCCAA Midwest Region Championship

NEXT

The Sabercats take on Kuyper College in another NCCAA Midwest Region Match up, tomorrow at  3 PM EST. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.