Rockford, IL - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team fell to the Rockford Regents on Saturday afternoon 96-70. 

The Knights trailed Rockford 47-37 at halftime and stayed within striking distance due to four three pointers and 35 percent shooting from the floor. However, the Regents shot 55 percent in the first half and their hot shooting remained in the second half as they connected on 13-of-29 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes.

In addition to Rockford's perimeter shooting, the Regents found success in the paint and outscored the Knights 50-26 in that area.

Kevin Diemer led the Regents with 32 points on 13-of-14 shooting and grabbed six rebounds, while Jaden Bell scored 16 points.

Junior Nate Miller had a career-high 19 points and got into a rhythm from 3-point territory, shooting 5-of-6 (56 percent). Sophomores Thomas Balge and Ethan Kjenstad also gave MLC some production offensively, as Balge had (15) and Kjenstad finished with 13 points.

Next up for MLC men's basketball (0-4) is another non-conference road matchup at Lakeland College on Tuesday, November 21. Tipoff is at 4 p.m.