ST. PAUL - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team was rusty to start, but showed signs of promise late in a 90-62 season-opening defeat at Northwestern in non-conference action. 

The Knights could not buy a basket in the early going, shooting just 3-23 from the field as the Eagles built a 26-9 lead after the first quarter. The Eagles, playing their eighth game of the season, built off the early momentum and shot better than 60 percent in the first two quarters to take a 51-25 lead into halftime. 

MLC showed signs of life in the second half on both ends of the court, but were unable to overcome the slow start as UNW cruised to the win.

Despite the early struggles, the Knights knocked down 11 three-point field goals, matching its highest single-game total since December 12, 2018. Sophomore wings Erika Gosch and Meghan Blaine combined for seven of those three-pointers on 12 attempts.

For the game, the Knights shot 33.3 percent from the field compared to 54.4 percent for UNW. The Eagles knocked down 12 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc, and also took advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe by making 16 of 20 at the free throw line.

Gosch finished as the team's leading scorer with 14 points, while Blaine, a sophomore newcomer, added 11 points in her first game with the program. 

First-year players Jordyn Heckendorf, Emma Nelson and Anna Treder joined Blaine in scoring their first career points in their collegiate debuts. 

MLC fell to 0-1 on the season in defeat, while UNW improved to 5-3 with the win.

The Knights will return to action for another non-conference tune up on Wednesday, January 27, when they travel to North Central for a game scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.