NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team brought the defensive effort, but could not find the offensive spark in a 76-44 loss to University of Northwestern-St. Paul (UNW) on Friday.

The first half was a defensive struggle for teams, as the Knights held UNW to 29 points on 40.6 percent shooting, but trailed by eight points at the break after the Eagles held them to only 21 points and 22.6 percent shooting for the half.

The Eagles were able to find a rhythm in the second half, shooting 50.0 percent from the field, while the Knights continued to struggle, allowing UNW to build on its lead and cruise to the win.

The balanced UNW attack finished with three players in double figures, led by 17 points for senior Noah Alm.

MLC was led by Caleb Westra, who scored eight points off the bench.

The Knights dropped to 2-12 on the season and 0-4 in UMAC play in defeat. UNW improved to 10-4 overall and 4-0 in league play with the win.

MLC will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, January 15) when it hosts North Central University in a game scheduled to tip off at 4:45 p.m.