WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats had their night end in heartbreak with a 41-43 loss to Grace Christian tonight, as their last-second shot at a game-tying bucket came agonizingly close to forcing overtime and a shot at their first win of the season.
Kyria Teachout had a career-high 25 points and passed the 500-career-points mark in the NCCAA Midwest Region clash, as the Sabercats fell by two points in a defensive battle.
OVERVIEW
- Result: Maranatha 41-43 Grace
- Venue: Main Gymnasium, Maranatha Baptist University
- Location: Watertown, Wis.
- Event: NCCAA Midwest Region Conference - Regular Season
- Records: MBU (0-18), GCC (4-12)
STORY
Teachout was the most dangerous player on the court by far in the first half, as she came close to out-scoring the Tigers single-handedly. The senior put up 13 points and 8 rebounds as the Sabercats led at halftime 19-16. Maranatha held the Tigers to scoring in just the single digits in each of the first two quarters and stifled the Tigers' offense, limiting their visitors to shooting less than 20 percent from the field.
The third quarter proved to be the ultimate difference-maker, as the Tigers got hot and they got hot quick. Grace scored almost half their points for the night in that 10-minute stretch, going 7-14 from the field and 5-6 from the line. Just like that, the Sabercats had their 7-point halftime lead erased and went into the final act down by three.
The energy in the gym in the fourth quarter was electric. The Sabercats were hot on the heels of their first win of the season, and you could feel it. Teachout continued her dominant play by passing the career-high mark of 23 points, as the senior hit up with a layup to make it a 2-point game, then promptly tied it up with 45 seconds left by nailing two clutch free throws.
The Tigers answered with a couple of free throws with 10 seconds left, and the Sabercats looked to Teachout again to tie the game at the buzzer. The senior put up a contested jumper to beat the buzzer, but the shot nicked both sides of the rim before falling to the floor. It was the basket that Teachout deserved, but it was the basket that never was. At the final horn, the Sabercats had fallen 43-41 in a memorable defensive battle.
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Maranatha Starters: 4-Steuerwald, 12- Cook, 13-Teachout (C), 14- Alsup, 21-Mikkelson (C)
STATS
- Teachout: 25 PTS (career-high) / 12 REB / 4 STL
- Teachout: Now has 500 career points
- Last time: Grace defeated Maranatha 33-64 on January 16
- Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Grace 30-14
OPPONENTS
- Grace competes in the NCCAA Midwest Region alongside Maranatha
- Grace finished the '24-25 season with a 2-19 record
NEXT
The Sabercats host Kuyper tonight at 5:00 PM Central. Follow at mbusabercats.com/schedule.
