NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team was unable to slow down the high-powered Storm from Crown College in an 88-79 loss Wednesday.

The Knights shot 51.6 percent for the game and made seven of 14 attempts from beyond the three-point arc, but the Storm countered with a 23-8 advantage at the charity stripe and 11 three-point field goals of their own to make up the difference.

Crown took a 40-38 lead into the locker room after an entertaining first half, but the Knights refused to go quietly. MLC took a 47-45 lead early in the second half, and took the lead once again (58-56) at the 10-minute mark following an Austin DeNoyer layup.

The Storm would respond, however, with a 9-2 run to take back the lead and then held the Knights at bay the rest of the way to secure the win.

Playing without leading-scorer Ian Paulsen, the MLC bench came up big as first-year players Jack Heichelbech, Joseph Hirsch and Jonathan Riebe combined for 35 points. Heichelbech led the team with 15 points on 6-7 shooting (including 3-4 from beyond the arc), while Hirsch made five of six attempts in the second half. 

DeNoyer and Richard Eckmann led the starters with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Eckmann also led the team with five assists. 

Crown's Timothy Wendel entered the game as the UMAC's leading scorer and proved to be a problem throughout the game for the Knights. Wendel finished with a game-high 31 points (8-14 field goals, 12-12 free throws) and 12 rebounds for the Storm.

MLC fell to 5-11 on the season and 2-6 in UMAC play in defeat. Crown improved to 10-6 overall and 5-3 in league play with the win.

The Knights will return to action on Saturday, January 19, when they travel to Northland for a game scheduled to tip off at 4:45 p.m.