ASHLAND, Wis. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team earned its first win of the season by the score of 72-67 in overtime at Northland on Saturday.

The Knights battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit thanks to a stifling defense that held the Lumberjacks to 28.6 percent shooting in the second half.

Northland led by as many as 11 points early in the second half, but the Knights took the lead with a 15-2 run helped by three-point field goals from Nate Lindloff, Richard Eckmann and Joshua Tomlin.

The Knights trailed 62-60 in the final minute when Ian Paulsen tied the game 62-62 with 35 seconds to play. After forcing a stop to end regulation, the Knights outscored the Lumberjacks 10-5 in the overtime period on the way to the five-point win. 

MLC was efficient on the offensive end throughout the game and finished 9-17 from beyond the three-point arc to go with 51.9 percent shooting from the field. Defensively, the Knights held Northland to 35.7 percent from the field and 8-30 from downtown.

Paulsen led the Knights with 17 points to go with team highs in rebounds (nine), assists (four) and blocks (three). Eckmann joined him in double figures with 11 points, while Eddie Powe scored a career-best 11 points off the bench.

MLC improved to 1-7 on the season and 1-1 in UMAC play with the win. Northland fell to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in league play in defeat.

The Knights will return to action on Wednesday, December 13, when they host Bethany Lutheran College for a game scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.