NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team dominated Crown on the defensive end on the way to a 71-45 win on Saturday.

MLC held the Storm to 26.8 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc. The Knights also forced 29 Crown turnovers, leading to 34 MLC points (including 14 fast break points) on the other end.

The Knights controlled the game from the start, building an 18-2 lead in the first seven minutes and leading by as many as 25 points on the way to a 40-18 halftime lead.

MLC struggled on offense to start the second half, allowing the Storm to hang around for a bit, but built the lead back up to 24 points at the end of the third quarter on the way to the win.

Ruth Buchholz had the best game of her young career, scoring 12 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, and also grabbing seven rebound and blocking two shots off the bench.

Jade St. Germaine and Grace Schultz each scored 11 points for MLC, while Mariah Schoof dished out six assists to go with three steals, two blocks and nine points.

MLC improved its record to 7-12 overall and 5-6 in UMAC play with the win. Crown fell to 1-19 on the season and 0-11 in league play in defeat. 

The Knights will return to action on Friday, February 3, when they travel to UW-Superior for a game scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.