NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team scored its first win of the season by the score of 86-56 over Crown College in non-conference action on Monday night.

MLC jumped out front from the start, out-scoring the Storm 25-16 in the first quarter and taking a commanding 48-30 lead into the halftime locker room. Sophomore Erika Gosch and first-year guard Jordyn Heckendorf paced the Knights in the early going with 10 points apiece as the Knights shot 36.2 percent from the field in the first half.

The Storm tried to start a comeback in the third quarter and were able to cut into the deficit heading into the fourth quarter, but MLC held them to just 1-14 shooting from the field in the final period as it pushed the lead to 30 points en route to the win.

Turnovers were a critical part of the game for both teams, as the Knights turned it over just five times while forcing 15 Crown miscues. MLC made the Storm pay for those turnovers, scoring 20 points off them on the other end.

While MLC struggled to finish open looks at times in the second half, it was able to take advantage of its chances at the free throw line. The Knights finished the game 23-34 from the charity stripe, led by a 9-11 night from senior wing Emily Witkowski.

Gosch and Witkowski led the way for the Knights with 15 points apiece. Heckendorf finished with 12 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists. Anna Treder finished with a career-high 12 rebounds on top of her six points.

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

The Knights will return to action on Thursday, February 4, when they host Minnesota Morris for a game scheduled to start at 7 p.m.