MANKATO, Minn. - The Martin Luther College women's basketball team was unable to slow down the first place Vikings from Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) in a 94-51 defeat on Friday.

The Vikings started strong and never relented on both ends of the court, outscoring the Knights 22-5 in the first quarter and building a 44-22 halftime lead on the way to the win.

BLC shot well from the outside, making 13 of 27 attempts from beyond the three-point arc compared to the Knights' 3-26 shooting from distance for the game.

Overall, the Vikings shot 50.0 percent from the field, and finished with four different players in double figures. On the other end, the Knights took good care of the ball, committing only seven turnovers, but could not find the range from inside or outside on the way to 25.0 percent shooting for the game.

Lauren Paulsen and Emma Nelson led MLC with 10 points apiece. Jordyn Heckendorf added nine points to go with her team-high seven rebounds.

MLC fell to 5-13 on the season and 2-6 in UMAC play in defeat. BLC improved to 13-6 overall and 8-0 in league play with the win.

The Knights will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, January 29) when they travel to Maranatha Baptist for a game scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.