BELOIT, Wis. - Beloit's men's basketball team defeated Maranatha Baptist University 72-51 Friday night, behind a 40 percent (27-68) shooting performance, including 37 percent (7-19) from 3-point range. The Buccaneers also converted 19 Maranatha turnovers into 24 points, while outscoring the Sabrecats in the paint, 36-22.

The game was tightly contested for the first 10 minutes, with two ties and three lead changes. The turning point came mid-way through the first half when Brian Rusch threw a pass high off the backboard on a Beloit fast break, which ended with Semaj Roy throwing down a monstrous dunk to put the fans in a frenzy. That gave the Buccaneers a 16-12 lead, and they never looked back, finishing the half on a 26-10 run to take a 38-22 halftime lead.

Beloit (2-3) took their largest lead of 32 points mid-way through the second half on a jumper in the paint by Azeez Ganiyu. The Buccaneers would hold Maranatha to just 35 percent (18-52) shooting in the game, including 24 percent (4-17) from 3-point range. Beloit's bench also outscored the Sabrecats by a 37-15 margin.

Ganiyu led all scorers with 14 points, to go along with eight rebounds. Roy added 13 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, as he made 5-of-8 shots from the field, while converting his only 3-point attempt. Jabari Scuefield also chipped in with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Maranatha (0-6) was led by Josh Davis' 10 points. Noah Jensen added eight points and eight rebounds, while Caleb Moultrie and Brayden Cox each scored seven points.

Beloit will now try to build on this performance, as they'll be in action again on Tuesday when they'll host Aurora University. That game will begin at 7 p.m. at Flood Arena in Beloit, Wis.