NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team battled, but could not slow down the offensive attack of Bethany Lutheran College in a 95-76 defeat on Thursday.

Senior wing Emily Witkowski was the story for the Knights as she set a new MLC single-game scoring record with 37 points on the way to becoming the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 career points. For more on that milestone, click our separate story here. 

The MLC offense struggled in the first half, shooting 22.2 percent from the field while Witkowski scored 19 of the team's 27 points on the way to a 13-point halftime deficit. 

The Knights' offense picked up steam in the second half, as Erika Gosch scored 11 of her 13 points while Witkowski added another 18 points, but BLC shot over 60 percent from the field in both the third and fourth quarters to keep the Knights at a distance. 

The Vikings were efficient everywhere on the floor offensively, shooting 51.7 percent from the field, making 11 of 25 attempts from beyond the three-point arc, and shooting 24-30 from the free throw line. Hanna Geistfeld led BLC with 34 points (12-15 from the field) and 15 rebounds, while Abby Olson added 24 points and seven assists. 

Witkowski (37 points) and Gosch (13) were the lone MLC players in double figures. Witkowski also added eight rebounds. Emma Nelson and Anna Treder combined for 15 points and 11 rebounds down low.

MLC fell to 2-9 on the season and 1-5 in UMAC play in defeat. BLC improved to 4-1 overall and 4-1 in league play with the win.