MINNEAPOLIS - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team struggled to get going offensively in a 72-49 defeat at North Central University (NCU) on Tuesday. 

The Knights went through scoring droughts of at least four minutes in each of the first two quarters as NCU built a 38-22 halftime lead. Halley Engelbrecht scored nine first-half points for MLC to keep them within distance heading into the locker room.

The second half proved more of the same, however, as the Knights just could not get a shot to fall. They were held to one field goal in the third quarter as the Rams pushed the lead over 20 points, helping NCU cruise to the win down the stretch. 

MLC finished the game shooting 25.4 percent from the field and struggled from both inside and out. The Rams out-scored the Knights 40-14 in the paint, while MLC was also held to 4-24 shooting from beyond the three-point arc. 

Emily Rothfuss finished as the Knights' leading scorer with 10 points. Jordyn Heckendorf added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. Engelbrecht finished the day with nine points.

MLC fell to 1-5 on the season and 0-2 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play in defeat. NCU improved to 12-2 overall and 4-0 in league play with the win.

The Knights are scheduled to return to action on Saturday, February 13, when they host Northwestern-St. Paul in a game scheduled to tip off at 3:00 p.m.