The Dominican University men's basketball team opened up the 2018-19 season on Saturday afternoon in Watertown, Wisconsin, falling to the Maranatha Baptist University Sabrecats 76-65.  Dennis Handy scored a career-high 15 points while junior transfer Marcus Watson added 12 points for the Stars in the losing effort.
 
"Give credit to Maranatha," commented Mark White, the Stars' head men's basketball coach, following the loss. I thought they outworked us for a good portion of the game and definitely played more inspired basketball. It is a disappointing start to the season but this loss won't define our season. We will figure it out."
 
The two sides traded leads throughout the first half with Dominican leading by as many as six in the final two minutes of the first half before Maranatha Baptist closed the half on a 7-0 run to lead, 38-37, at the break.
 
The teams traded baskets and the lead for the first two minutes of the second half, until the Sabrecats used an 8-0 run midway through the half to push the lead to ten, 55-45, with ten minutes to play. Maranatha's lead swelled all the way to 14 before Dominican turned up the defensive pressure, trimming the lead all the way down to four, 69-65, when Watson converted a lay in with 2:46 to play.  However, Maranatha Baptist regrouped, going 7-for-9 from the foul line over the final two minutes while Dominican went 0-for-6 from the field.
 
The Stars shot 38-percent, 27-for-71, from the field in the losing effort while Maranatha Baptist managed to convert on 28 of its 56 attempts from the field and hit on 15 of 21 attempts from the foul line.
 
Rob Sonnenberg led three in double-figures scoring for the Sabrecats, dropping in 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting while David Lerma finished the afternoon with 15.
 
The Stars will head to Macomb, Illinois, on Wednesday to take on the Division I Western Illinois Leathernecks.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the exhibition game for the Stars.