NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team was unable to overcome a bad stretch in the second quarter of a 73-55 defeat to University of Northwestern-St. Paul (UNW) on Saturday.

The Knights trailed 20-14 after the first quarter, and then went completely cold in the second period, shooting 1-14 from the field as UNW was able to build a 40-17 lead going into halftime.

MLC was able to build on positive moments in the second half, out-scoring the Eagles in each of the final two periods, but the first half deficit was too much to overcome. 

After shooting 18.2 percent from the field in the first half, the Knights shot 42.9 percent in the final two quarters while holding UNW to 37.9 percent over the last 20 minutes. 

Emily Witkowski was the leading offensive player for MLC in the game with 21 points. Emma Nelson added 11 points and five rebounds, while Anna Treder scored eight points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. 

Witkowski also made a move on the school's all-time record list, jumping into third place in program history with 233 career made free throws. 

UNW was tough to stop inside and outside, as forward Megan Roberts finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds down low, while Kelsea Lund added 16 points and five assists from the outside.

MLC fell to 1-6 on the season and 0-3 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play in defeat. UNW improved to 10-4 overall and 4-1 in league play with the win.

The Knights will return to action on Monday, February 15, when they host Minnesota Morris in a game scheduled to start at 7 p.m.