MLC roundup: Knights suffer sweep to Vikings
Information courtesy of Adam Hussman/MLC SID
MEN’S BASKETBALL
BLC 95, MLC 93
MANKATO – The Martin Luther College men’s basketball team gave the Bethany Lutheran Vikings all they could handle in Wednesday’s conference meeting between the two rivals. MLC played the foul game down the stretch and had an opportunity to win the game following a front-end miss of a “one-and-one” by Bethany. The Knights needed a 3-pointer to win the game at the buzzer, but Adam Loberger’s 3-pointer wouldn’t fall and the Vikings held on to defeat the Knights 95-93.
The game featured a lot of back-and-forth offensive action, as both teams got out in spurts throughout the contest, adding up to a total of 12 ties and seven lead changes. Bethany held the lead for much of the first part of the opening 20 minutes until Benjamin Pearson and Benjamin Vasold made consecutive triples to give the Knights their first lead (30-28).
The last couple of minutes of the first half was a 3-point barrage back-and-forth between both squads and MLC picked up a big 3-ball from Nate Miller to keep it close at the half, trailing Bethany 45-43 at the break. Miller, a senior guard, has been working his way back into the rotation from an injury he had to start the season.
In the second half, MLC didn’t back down from a thunderous dunk by the Vikings or the crowd noise as they remained within a few points of Bethany. Trey Lauber connected on multiple key 3-pointers, including one that tied things up 64-64 with just under 12 minutes left.
The Knights regained the lead for the first time in the second half on a layup from Thomas Balge to make it 73-72. Balge converted on the bucket following a nice cut to the hoop.
Bethany received a big lift from a veteran guard in Jax Madson. The senior heated up, especially in the second half, scoring 22 of his game-high 37 points, while also making six 3-pointers. Dominik Bangu also made an impact for the Vikings, finishing with 26 points and three steals.
The freshman duo of Loberger (23 points) and Vasold (18 points) led the Knights in scoring. Vasold had an efficient game from the floor, shooting 66 percent and was active on the glass with nine boards. Balge totaled 17 points and did his damage driving to the paint throughout the game.
Both teams shot well, but the Vikings gained an advantage from 26 points off turnovers, with a chunk of that in transition.
MLC goes to 4-10 overall, 1-4 UMAC and will have a few days off before their next game on Saturday, January 25. The Knights take on Northland College at home at 1 p.m. that day.
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
BLC 74, MLC 57
MANKATO – The Martin Luther College women’s basketball team took on its rival Bethany Lutheran on Wednesday evening and looked to go 5-0 in conference play with a win. Despite a hot start in the first five minutes of the game, where MLC went up 12-2, the Vikings countered back and defeated the Knights 74-57.
MLC held the lead for much of the first half and were up by as many as 14 points in the second quarter (28-14) with just under seven minutes left in the half. However, from that point on, the Vikings got into a rhythm offensively and shot almost 70 percent from the field in the second quarter. Bethany also ramped up their pressure and closed out the remainder of the half on a 21-5 run to take a 35-33 lead at the break.
Bethany’s defensive pressure played a big role in starting the second half, and as a result, the Knights shot under 20 percent from the field in the third quarter. The Vikings would take a 58-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter following a 3-pointer from the short corner.
Bethany spread it out throughout their squad and its bench scored 34 points to aid their victory over MLC. The Vikings also were effective in the paint, outscoring MLC 42-28 in that area.
Mya Morris had a team-high in points (15) and steals (3), while Emma Dorn delivered 14 points and six boards.
MLC (10-5 Overall, 4-1 UMAC) has a chance to bounce back on Saturday, January 25, when the Knights host Northland College at 2:45 p.m.