Wisconsin Dells, WI - The Martin Luther College Knights returned to the hardwood for a Sunday afternoon matchup with Webster University at the JustAGame Fieldhouse in the Wisconsin Dells. The Knights overcame a 42-26 deficit at halftime and showed some resiliency as they came within five points (59-54) of the Gorlocks with 6:25 remaining in the second half. However, Webster was able to grind out a victory in crunch time after a foul fest from both teams and beat MLC 77-63.

Webster (SLIAC) made the trip up from St. Louis and fell to a UMAC opponent in Crown last night 82-70. The Gorlocks would bounce back with their relentless press and zone defense against MLC. As a result, Webster forced the Knights into just 29.6 percent shooting in the first half and rotated many athletic bodies out onto the court to mix up the defensive looks that MLC would see.

The Knights responded with a lot of grit in the second half after Webster took their largest lead of the game 50-28 and went on a 12-0 run over the course of 3 minutes. The run was led by Trey Lauber and Sam Hansen, who provided a boost off the bench during that time.

The Gorlocks put the game away with five quick points that included a Nate Jones layup coming off of a Jemard Sykes offensive rebound and a corner three-pointer from Jalen Davis to go up 64-54. MLC battled hard in the remaining 5 minutes, but Jones would convert on enough free throws to keep the Knights from fully coming back and MLC would also struggle from the line down the stretch.

Webster held a 36-26 advantage in points in the paint over MLC and showcased their physicality and athleticism in the open court with 27 points off turnovers. Sykes had an all-around game for the Gorlocks and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four steals, while Jones led the team with 17 points (9 from free throw line).

Thomas Balge had another solid game offensively and got to the hole with ease, leading MLC with 18 points and eight boards on 50 percent shooting. Lauber added 17 points and seven rebounds, as the freshman continued to display nice touch from distance, shooting 40 percent from 3-point territory.

MLC (1-9, 1-1) will now have over two weeks off before their exhibition game against Waldorf on January 3. The contest will start at 7 p.m. in New Ulm.