Plymouth, WI - The Martin Luther College men's basketball team continued its season with a non conference matchup with Lakeland University on Tuesday evening. The Knights had a five point advantage (78-73) at the 5:01 mark and looked poised to secure their first win of the season, but the Muskies would then tie up the game 85-85 after an Isaiah Hammond basket and eventually controlled the overtime period to defeat MLC 100-90.

MLC trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, but outscored Lakeland 46-36 in the second half to force the extra period. The Knights put together their best performance of the season and played as a cohesive unit on the offensive end of the court. In the second half, especially, the Knights moved well without the ball and capitalized on well timed cuts to the basket.

MLC chipped into the deficit throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half and Seth Veers jump started an 8-0 run that gave the Knights heir first lead of the half, as they regained momentum up 72-69 with 7:01 left.

Lakeland cut the MLC lead to 81-80 after Brayden Kennedy hit a three pointer from the left side of the perimeter with 1:46 remaining, but Thomas Balge would keep the Muskies at bay when he finished off an "and one" play with a layup down the key.

However, Lakeland came up with a few stops in the final minute and stayed alive after a missed free throw from Paul Frick.

In overtime, the Muskies claimed their home court advantage and outscored the Knights 15-5 to seal the win over MLC.

MLC had their most balanced offensive game of the season and had four players in double figures. Balge and Ethan Kjenstad had 25 points apiece, as the sophomores enforced an aggressive mindset at the rim. Veers had a near double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Micah Kieselhorst added 11 points.

Both squads shot the ball well from the field, with MLC shooting 33-of-66 (50 percent) and Lakeland going 32-of-70 (45.7 percent). MLC would dominate with points in the paint and produced over half of their points in that area (58). Where the Muskies gained the edge was in three point shooting, going 10-of-29, while the Knights shot just 17.6 percent.

MLC (0-4) will play their next game following Thanksgiving break, when they host Loras College on Saturday, December 2, at 2 p.m.