NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team opened its season with an 84-50 loss to Saint Mary's (Minn.) on Tuesday.

The Knights hung tough for most of the first half and led 20-19 with 7:33 to play in the period, but a 13-1 run by the Cardinals helped them to a 12-point halftime lead.

SMU was able to build on that lead coming out of halftime with a 10-0 run over the first 1:48 to take a 22-point lead. The Knights continued to battle the rest of the way, but were unable to get enough going consistently on the offensive end to make a run.

The Cardinals held a big advantage beyond the three-point arc, outscoring the Knights 30-3 from distance, and also forced 23 MLC turnovers that went for 32 SMU points.

Richard Eckmann led MLC with 12 points on 3-8 shooting and also tied for the team lead with eight rebounds. Ian Paulsen added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Nate Goelzer led the team with four assists and two steals.

MLC fell to 0-1 on the season in defeat. SMU improved to 1-0 with the win.

The Knights will return to action on Thursday, November 17, when they host Concordia-Wis. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.