New Ulm, MN - Lydia Feidt scored 17 points, the MLC starting five all reached double figures and the Knights were able to avenge their previous loss to rival, Bethany, with a 72-59 win on Saturday afternoon in front of a large crowd in the LSC.

In their first meeting, the Vikings shot nearly 46 percent from the field and bottled up most of the Knights starters. On Saturday, the MLC defense came ready to play and their pressure forced the Vikings into 29 turnovers, while also holding them to just 32.8 percent shooting this time around. 

The women began the game up 6-0 in the first quarter and maintained that lead throughout the opening period, but Bethany took their first lead of the game 22-21 following a Julian Ewald 3-pointer.

MLC called a timeout after this point to reset and responded with a 12-2 run, as Emma Nelson scored in the paint and Grace Kieselhorst connected on a jumper beyond the arc to give the Knights a 33-30 advantage at halftime.

The Knights continued to play solid help defense and that allowed them to go on another run (10-2) to go up 43-32 with 6:25 left in the third period. The Vikings then got some things going to cut into the lead and made it 45-40 after a pair of Ashanti Boykin free throws. At this point, Nelson picked up her fourth foul and it had appeared that Bethany would make a push late in the third, but Ella Walz hit a crucial 3-pointer to keep the momentum on the MLC side.

The final quarter saw the Knights get into the paint and received a little help from each member of the starting five to move past the Vikings 72-59.

Feidt added six boards to 17-point performance, while Kieselhorst had 14 points and six steals that were vital towards MLC's 21 points off of turnovers. The trio of Nelson, Paulsen, and Jordyn Heckendorf finished with 12 points and Nelson also grabbed 12 rebounds.

"We played with great poise all game long and responded when we needed to. Our current run shows the value of having practice time together here int he second half of the season," Head Coach Dan Gawrisch said of his team.

MLC improves to 8-12 overall and 3-5 in conference play and has now won four of its last five contests. The Knights hope to tack on another win over Minnesota Morris on Friday, February 2. The game is slated for 5 p.m. in the LSC gymnasium.