NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team battled, but could not come up with the plays down the stretch of a 79-68 loss to North Central University (NCU) on Saturday.

The two teams traded the lead back and forth nine times in the first half, but the Rams finished strong to take a 40-34 lead into the break.

NCU continued to hold the lead throughout the second half, but the Knights remained within striking distance and cut the deficit to four (66-62) following a Paul Frick driving lay-up with 3:52 to play.

That would be as close as the Knights could get in the final minutes, however, as the Rams held them scoreless for the next three minutes as they pushed their advantage into double figures before closing out the win.

NCU entered the game averaging 11 three-point field goals per game, but the Knights held them in check from the outside. The Rams shot 7-24 from beyond the three-point arc, including 0-6 in the second half, but made up for it by outscoring MLC 40-28 in the paint and 10-3 at the free throw line.

MLC shot 39.4 percent for the game, with Jacob Price leading the charge on offense with 13 points off the bench. Jack Heichelbech and Joseph Hirsch each finished with 11 points.

The Knights dropped to 2-13 on the season and 0-5 in UMAC play in defeat. NCU improved to 8-7 overall and 3-2 in league play with the win.

MLC will return to action on Friday, January 21, when it travels to Crown College for a game scheduled to tip off at 7:15 p.m.