Faith Struggles Against Defending Regional Champs

Faith followed up their previous battle against Emmaus Bible College with yet another tough opponent in defending regional champion Maranatha Baptist University. The Eagles, still dealing with injuries, struggled from the get-go and fell to the Sabercats 77-49. The loss moves their overall record to 3-3.

Already playing with a short bench, foul trouble became a problem early in the game for the Eagles, as Bekah Smith picked up two quick fouls less than two minutes into the game. Her presence in the post and her absence in rebounding were felt in the first half. While Faith had difficulty creating offense, the Sabercats had come out offensively strong. Maranatha started the game on a 20-0 run. It wasn't until the 3:30 mark that Faith netted their first basket of the game. Freshman Lyndi Shepard provided much of the scoring for the Eagles; at the halftime break, Faith trailed the Sabercats 33-19, with Lyndi scoring 16 of those points. 

Maranatha capitalized on the Eagles turnovers in the third quarter to extend their lead to 54-31. Faith limited their turnovers in the final quarter and were able to play evenly with the Sabercats offensively; however, the early deficit was too much for the Eagles to come back from.

The Sabercats shot 41 percent from the field, as opposed to Faith's 27 percent. Lyndi Shepard was the top scorer with 25 points. Shannon Steffen dished out 6 assists, while Mackenzie Hanson brought in 9 rebounds. The Eagles will return to the court this weekend for a roadtrip to Minneapolis, MN. Their first matchup will be with Providence University College (Canada) on Thursday night.