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Knights finish the UMAC regular season with a victory

NEW ULM — Martin Luther College finished its regular season on a high point thanks to a big performance by Jade St. Germaine.

Martin Luther College defeated North Central 78-61 in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference womens’ basketball game Saturday.

St. Germaine led the Knights (10-15, 8-8 UMAC) with a 29-point, 12-rebound double-double, while adding four blocks. Also for the Knights, Faith Schroeder added 17 points and four rebounds, while Mariah Schoof had 16 points and seven assists.

It was also the final home game for seniors Schoof and Schroeder and they exited with two impressive performances fitting of their talents. Schoof finishes her career with 921 points, 120 blocks, and 164 3-pointers. Schroeder finishes her career with 712 points and 521 rebounds.

Schoof said that she felt communication was key in the victory and that everyone on the floor and bench worked together to take care of things. Schroeder agreed and also felt that the team energy was great.

“Our energy on the court and on the bench — our bench is amazing,” Schroeder said. “Just playing disciplined, playing our game, being us, which is what we talked about in the locker room beforehand.”

Lizzy Swanson had 17 points for the Rams (6-18, 3-13), while Annabel Morrisroe had 13 points and eight rebounds. Haley Modahl also added 12 points and seven rebounds.

The Knights kicked off the game with an early 10-4 lead after a steal by Faith Otte led to a foul on a layup and two points at the line. In the second quarter, MLC knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers courtesy of Schoof and Schroeder to lead 32-20.

North Central cut into the MLC lead, however, and ended the half with a pair of free throws by Rachel Stevenson to trail 34-29.

MLC started the second half with a 9-0 run that was capped off on a feed by Schoof to St. Germaine inside for 2. Morrisroe stopped the run on a bucket inside.

Stevenson then knocked down a 3 for the Rams, but it was answered with back-to-back 3’s by Schoof to give the Knights a 59-42 lead.

The fourth quarter saw a big 13-2 run for the Rams to cut the deficit to 68-61. St. Germaine put in two buckets in a row, though, giving the Knights an 11-point lead and helping them pull away from North Central’s comeback attempt.

Schoof echoed Schroeder’s earlier statements about keeping the energy and bringing it to Bethany on Monday for their playoff matchup.

“Against Bethany, I think we just need to come out with energy and excitement, and a will to win,” Schoof said. “We just need to have that confidence that we can beat them because we all know we can and we’re hungry for a playoff win.”

MLC is the No. 5 seed in the upcoming UMAC tournament. The Knights travel to Bethany Lutheran College, the No. 4 seed, for a 7:30 p.m. game on Monday.

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