ASHLAND, Wis. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team started fast, but was unable to keep up with Northland College in the second half in a 100-75 loss on Saturday.

The Knights came out strong in the first half, shooting 60 percent from the field and 70 percent from beyond the three-point line on the way to a 46-44 halftime lead. TJ Babinec led the way for the Knights with 17 points on 6-10 shooting (including 4-6 from beyond the arc), while Jeffrey Parker added 13 points before the break.

The Lumberjacks answered quickly following the break as they opened the second half with an 11-0 run in just over two minutes to take a nine-point lead.

MLC hung tough, but were unable to slow down the Lumberjacks as they built on that lead on the way to the win.

Babinec finished the game with a team-high 19 points, while Parker (15 points), Phil Bunkowske (13) and Austin DeNoyer (10) each joined him in double figures. Luke Rothe led the team with five assists, and now needs only three more to tie Head Coach Greg Holzhueter's school record of 370 career assists.

The Knights fell to 1-22 on the season and 0-14 in UMAC play in defeat. Northland improved to 13-11 overall and 10-6 in league play with the win.

MLC will return home on Friday, February 17, when it hosts Northwestern (MN). That game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.