MORRIS, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team lost its bid for a win at University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) in the final minute in an 83-82 defeat on Monday.

The Knights started strong to open the game, leading by as many as nine in the first half, but the Cougars recovered and took a 45-39 lead into the break.

MLC came out firing in the second half, making 10 of its first 12 attempts from the field to quickly erase the halftime deficit and build its lead back up to eight points.

The Knights held a lead for much of the second half, but the Cougars came back late to take a one-point advantage. After a back-and-forth stretch in the final minutes and the Knights leading by one, UMM took its final lead with a pair of free throws with 21 seconds remaining, and then held off a final attempt from the Knights in the final seconds to secure the win.

MLC shot 50.8 percent from the field for the game and made 10 of 20 attempts from beyond the three-point arc, but could not overcome the difference at the free throw line in the end. The Knights went 8-14 from the charity stripe, but the Cougars made 22 of 32 on the other end to make up the scoring difference.

Micah Kieselhorst led four MLC players in double figures with 15 points, and also led the team with nine rebounds. Jack Heichelbech added 14 points, while Jonathan Riebe and Ezra Blumer finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench.

The Knights fell to 1-8 on the season and 0-6 in UMAC play in defeat. UMM improved to 3-4 overall and 3-4 in league play with the win.

MLC will return home for its next scheduled game against UW-Superior on Wednesday, February 24. That contest will tip off at 7 p.m.