NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball lost the conference opener to Bethany Lutheran College 90-57 on Wednesday.

The Vikings took control from the jump, out-scoring MLC 22-6 in the first quarter on the way to a 54-19 halftime lead. 

After turning the ball over 14 times in the first half and allowing BLC a lot of transition opportunities, the Knights settled down in the second half. MLC was unable to cut into the big deficit, but out-scored BLC 19-14 in the third quarter and 38-36 in the second half to finish the game on a positive note.

After shooting 30.8 percent from the field in the first half, MLC finished the game shooting 37.3 percent overall and 4-13 from beyond the three-point arc. 

Emily Witkowski led MLC with 10 points. Cassandra Rose and Kortney Behnke each added nine points off the bench. Behnke also led the team with six rebounds and a pair of steals.

The Knights fell to 0-8 on the season and 0-1 in league play in defeat. BLC improved to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the UMAC with the wni.

MLC will return to action on Saturday, December 7, when it hosts Northwestern in a game scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m.