PLYMOUTH, Wis. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team started strong but lost 93-85 at Lakeland University on Sunday.

The Knights started strong and held a 27-18 lead eight minutes into the game, but the Muskies came back to take a 51-44 edge into halftime.

MLC battled on both ends of the court in the second half, but struggled to finish from the outside and around the rim as the Muskies kept them at bay for much of the half. The Knights cut the deficit to two points early in the second half and never trailed by more than 10 points the rest of the way, but struggled to make the most of their opportunities.

The Knights' defense held the Muskies down for long stretches of the second half, but the Knights were held to only two field goals during a seven-minute stretch that allowed Lakeland to hold onto its slim lead until it was able to salt the game away at the free throw line in the final minutes.

MLC outrebounded the Muskies 58-44 and held a 23-12 edge on the offensive glass, but was held to 37.2 percent shooting from the field. Lakeland shot 45 percent for the game.

Ian Paulsen led MLC with 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. TJ Babinec added 18 points (thanks to 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc) and four assists. Nate Lindloff scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Joey Behm and Richard Eckmann finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Eckmann also grabbed 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season.

MLC fell to 0-2 on the season in defeat. Lakeland improved to 2-0 with the win.

The Knights will return to action on Tuesday, November 21, when they host Bethel University for the team's home opener. That game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.