NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team won its season opener over Macalester College by the score of 64-51 on Friday.

The Knights held an early 15-10 lead after the opening period, and then blew the game open in the second stanza. MLC quickly pushed the lead into double figures, and built it as high as 24 points (39-15) thanks to a 24-5 run to start the second quarter. 

Jordyn Heckendorf (10 points) and Erika Gosh (eight) combined for 18 points in the quarter, while first-year players Kendra Valleau, Lauren Paulsen and Maya Price helped key the run off the bench.

The Scots hung around in the second half but couldn't cut their deficit into single digits until the final minute of the fourth quarter as the Knights held on for the win.

Heckendorf and Gosch led the Knights with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Heckendorf was especially difficult for the Scots to defend on the night, making eight of 17 attempts from the field while also dishing out three assists and grabbing five rebounds. 

Valleau made a big impact off the bench with a team-best five assists, and both she and Paulsen finished a game-high +16 when they were on the court.

The Knights' defense held the Scots to 34.4 percent overall and just 5.9 percent (1-17) from beyond the three-point arc. MLC also forced 26 Macalester turnovers, which were turned into 14 points on the other end.

MLC moved to 1-0 to start the season with the win. Macalester fell to 0-1 in defeat.

The Knights will return to action on Monday, November 8, when they travel to Luther College for a game scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.