New Ulm, MN - MLC men's basketball had a gritty performance against fellow UMAC team Crown on Friday evening. Despite the spirited effort, the Knights fell to the Polars 92-64.

    The Knights had a solid first half offensively and stayed within single digits of Crown, only down 45-39 at halftime. MLC shot 44.4 percent from the field and hit contested layups at the rim, finishing strong over various Crown defenders. However, The Polars would match that offensive efficiency of the Knights with five 3-pointers in the first half. 

    To start the second half MLC remained within striking distance, but Crown's depth proved to be too much for MLC to overcome and separated themselves from the Knights by outscoring them 47-25 in the second half. The Polars' bench outscored the Knights bench 34-22, while Crown also cashed in by scoring off of careless MLC turnovers in the fast break.

    MLC was led by Thomas Balge who scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. The Knights also received a solid game from Micah Kieselhorst who finished with 12 points and eight boards on the night. Crown was led by Seth Royston (18 points, six rebounds) who shot 3-of-9 from 3-point territory.

MLC (1-14, 0-6) will shift their focus to an early afternoon matchup against UM-Morris, where they will host the Cougars at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 21st.