DECORAH, Iowa - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team could not overcome a tough shooting night in a 65-55 loss at Luther College on Monday.

The two teams battled throughout the night in a physical, defensive game that featured 63 total free throws. 

The Norse took a 28-26 lead into halftime and held that two-point edge heading into the fourth quarter (48-46).

The Knights took a 49-48 lead early in the final period, and then trailed by only one (53-52) following a Jordyn Heckendorf three-pointer with 4:34 to play, but managed only one field goal the rest of the way as the Norse pulled away in the final minutes to secure the win.

MLC held Luther to 32.8 percent shooting for the game, but could not take advantage on the other end as it shot 26.6 percent from the field. 

The Norse did much of its damage down low, outscoring MLC 26-16 in the paint, and also held a 12-4 edge in second-chance points.

Erika Gosch led the Knights with 18 points and tied Anna Treder for the team lead with seven rebounds. Heckendorf added 13 points and a team-high four assists.

MLC fell to 1-1 on the season in defeat, while Luther improved to 1-0 with the win in its season opener. 

The Knights will return to action on Friday, November 12, when it travels to Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) for a game scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m.