ASHLAND, Wis. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team came back from a slow start, but could not overcome a bad fourth quarter in an 84-70 loss at Northland College on Sunday.

The LumberJills raced to a fast start and finished the first quarter with a 26-15 lead, but MLC would return the favor over the next two quarters. The Knights outscored Northland 19-9 in the second quarter to trail only 35-34 at halftime, and then took a 52-51 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Northland took control from there, forcing nine MLC turnovers in the final period while also shooting 61.1 percent (11-18) from the field and 10-14 from the free throw line as it out-scored the Knights 33-18 over the final 10 minutes on the way to the win.

The Knights shot 43.8 percent from the field better than the LumberJills' 38.0 percent, but committed 33 turnovers that proved costly down the stretch. Northland out-scored the Knights 34-19 in points off turnovers, and also held a 24-8 advantage in fast break points. 

Emily Witkowski led three MLC players in double figures with 20 points on 6-13 shooting from the field (7-8 from the free throw line). Samantha Paul added a career-high 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for her first career double-double. Emily Rothfuss made all five of her field goal attempts on her way to 10 points and six rebounds. 

MLC fell to 1-14 on the season and 1-6 in UMAC play in defeat. Northland improved to 4-10 overall and 2-5 in league play with the win. 

The Knights will return home to host Minnesota Morris on Wednesday, January 22, with the opening tip of that game scheduled for 7:15 p.m.