NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team was unable to keep Bethany Lutheran College off the foul line in a 76-68 loss Saturday.

In the loss, T.J. Babinec made three three-point field goals, giving him 65 three-pointers this season. That breaks the previous MLC single-season record of 64, set in the 2002-03 season by Jeff Loberger.

MLC played a strong first half, and took a three-point lead into the break thanks to 45.2 percent shooting from the field. Babinec led the way with 14 points in the half, while Michael Paulsen added nine points.

The Knights pushed the lead to seven early in the second half, but the Vikings would take the lead for good at 54-53 with 9:42 to play. The Knights hung within striking distance, but were never able to push the deficit closer than five points in the final minutes.

MLC finished the game with four more field goals (28-24) and three more three-point field goals (7-4), but was outscored 24-5 at the free throw line. In the second half, BLC went 20-30 from the charity stripe to help pull away.

The Vikings also took advantage of their depth, outscoring the MLC bench 38-3. Three of BLC's four players who finished in double figures came off the bench.

Babinec and Paulsen led the Knights with 18 points apiece. Paulsen also led the team with five assists. Austin Eisenmann scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

MLC fell to 1-18 on the season and 1-10 in UMAC play in defeat. BLC improved to 7-12 overall and 5-6 in league play with the win.

The Knights will return to action on Friday, February 5, when they host Finlandia in a game scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.