NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team exploded for 54 second-half points to come from behind and defeat University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) 87-70 on Friday.

The Cougars looked to be in control at the half with a 41-33 lead after holding the Knights to 34.1 percent shooting overall and just 2-12 from beyond the three-point arc, but the second half proved to be a different story. 

MLC quickly erased the eight-point deficit with a 10-2 run to open the half and continued to build confidence from there. The Knights went on to shoot 67.7 percent from the field and 60.0 percent (6-10) from downtown in the second half. 

Ezra Blumer was the shooting star for the Knights after the break, scoring 15 of his 22 points in the second half. Jack Heichelbech added 10 second-half points, while Jacob Price gave 13 critical second-half minutes with four points and four assists.

MLC finished the game shooting 48.6 percent overall compared to 44.3 percent for UMM. The Knights also dominated the game down low, outscoring the Cougars 46-32 in the paint and 18-3 in second chance points.

Blumer's led the team in both scoring (22 points) and rebounding (10) while adding three assists. Heichelbech finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Micah Kieselhorst and Joseph Hirsch added 15 and 12 points, respectively.

MLC improved to 5-17 overall and 2-9 in UMAC play with the win. UMM fell to 8-14 on the season and 3-8 in conference action in defeat.

The Knights will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, February 12) when they host Crown College in the final home game of the season. That game is scheduled to tip off at 4:45 p.m.