ST. PAUL - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team led for most of the game, but fell short in an upset bid at Northwestern by the score of 60-55 on Friday.

Both teams struggled on the offensive end of the court for much of the night, as MLC shot 27.7 percent while UNW shot 37.9 percent.

The Knights led for much of the game until the four-minue mark of the fourth quarter, when UNW was able to take the lead for the final time with a pair of free throws that gave the Eagles a 49-48 advantage.

MLC led 43-41 after the third period, but the Eagles outscored the Knights 19-12 in the final quarter to complete the comeback.

The Knights struggled from the outside, making only one of their 18 attempts from beyond the three-point arc, but were able to keep the lead much of the way thanks to an 18-20 performance from the free throw line. 

MLC also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Eagles 49-36, including a 21-10 edge in offensive rebounds.

Leah Nass came off the bench to lead MLC with 12 points. Erin Schmeling finished with a team-best ten rebounds and four assists to go with her eight points, while Mariah Schoof blocked three shots and scored nine points. 

The Knights fell to 11-11 overall and 6-7 in conference play with the loss. UNW improved its record to 18-4 on the season and 12-1 in UMAC play following the win.

MLC will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, February 13) when it travels to North Central for a game scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m.