NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team was unable to overcome its miscues against the pressure defense of North Central University (NCU) in a 87-69 loss on Wednesday.

The Knights started strong, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and making three of four attempts from beyond the three-point arc to take a 21-17 lead after the first quarter, but the Rams roared back by outscoring them 29-13 in the second quarter to take a 46-34 halftime lead.

NCU pushed its lead as high as 24 points in the third quarter, but MLC came back to cut the deficit to 11 (72-61) with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before the Rams made one final run to put the game away.

The Knights struggled against the Rams' full-court pressure defense at times, committing 27 turnovers that led to 26 NCU points on the other end. The Rams made the most of their early offense opportunities off turnovers and MLC missed shots, outscoring the Knights 41-4 in fast break points for the game.

Jordyn Heckendorf led the charge on offense for the Knights with 19 points and seven assists. Emma Nelson and Lauren Paulsen joined her in double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively.

MLC fell to 5-12 on the season and 2-5 in UMAC play in defeat. NCU improved to 15-2 overall and 5-2 in league play with the win.

The Knights will return to action on Friday, January 28, when they travel to Bethany Lutheran College for a game scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.