The Knights were without three players for Monday’s game in freshmen Payton Holub and Madeline Prahl, and junior starter Anna Kieselhorst.

Holub was injured during the Knights’ first game of the season on the road last week at Augsburg University, while Prahl is working her way back from a shoulder injury sustained during volleyball season. Kieselhorst may have left the biggest shoes for the Knights to fill on Monday, however, as the starting guard was out with a hand injury sustained late in the Knights’ home win over St. Catherine on Saturday.

Despite a feeling out process in the first quarter that saw the Knights down 18-6 after they settled for outside shots that didn’t drop, things started to click in the second quarter as they stormed back to take a 24-23 lead with 3:22 left in the half on an and-one by Mya Morris.

Morris wasn’t herself from the 3-point line early in the game as she missed nine in a row from beyond the arc before cashing in from downtown early in the fourth quarter. While the 3-point shot wasn’t falling for her, her drives to the hoop were and she also converted on 6 of 7 shots from the foul line to finish with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Martin Luther College’s Mya Morris dribbles the ball to the lane while guarded by Macalester’s Sydnee Smith (21) during a nonconference women’s basketball game on Monday night at MLC.

In addition to getting better looks at the hoop, Morris said working the ball around more and getting her teammates involved helped boost her performance.

“I think just making sure if I’m missing, looking for my team and trying to get the ball swung and get it in and out because when my team gets going, it helps me get going and get the energy to do it,” Morris said. “That and defensively, just everyone working hard and working together.”

The Knights also got a double from Wilhelmina Wenz, who just had a career-high 21 points in Saturday’s win. On Monday, Wenz finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, with all of her points coming in the second half.

Forward sophomore Ava Stein had a nice night for the Knights also Monday as she had 12 points and six rebounds, while MLC’s lone senior Lydia Feidt added 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and a block.

With Kieselhorst out of the lineup Monday and the Knights down an upperclassmen leader on a team full of freshmen and sophomores, Feidt said she didn’t feel any more pressure against the Scots.

“I think that everyone just kind of helps out,” she said. “We’ve got four captains, all upperclassmen, all of our juniors are helping out, too, so it’s just kind of a team effort. We’re all just playing hard, we’re working hard. The coaches are awesome, too, helping us out when we need it and filling in those spots. So I don’t think it’s too much more added pressure.”

Knights head coach Dan Gawrisch said despite the early injuries, his players are resilient.

“It was certainly tough for our team finding out Anna was not gonna be able to play tonight when we heard the news today, but we have a resilient group,” he said. “We also have some depth. Ella Schmidt came in and played great minutes in her sophomore year. She’s able to step up now a little sooner than perhaps she would be ready to, but she’s doing great. That’s just an opportunity for her.”

Schmidt played 11 minutes and hit a 3-pointer while adding three rebounds.

After the tough first quarter where the Knights struggled to get the ball into the paint, Feidt scored on a layup to open the second quarter, a quarter where the Knights started with a 15-3 run to tie the game at 21-all. The game-tying points for MLC during that run came on a 3 by Ella Walz, who finished with 4 points and team-high three assists.

After Morris’ free throws to put the Knights up 24-23, the Scots did enough to get back in front before the half, leading 31-29 at the break.

A fastbreak 3 by Feidt put the Knights in front to open the third quarter and the Scots got that 3 back moments later on one from Mary Daley to retake the lead. Stein cashed in on a 3 after Daley’s 3 to give the Knights a 36-34 lead and a layup by Morris had the Knights up 38-34.

The Knights extended that 5-0 run into an 8-0 run after a 3 by Wenz to lead 41-34. Another Wenz 3 had the Knights up 49-38 and a pair of free throws from her gave the Knights their largest lead of the night, 51-39, with less than three minutes to go in the third.

With 13 seconds left, the Scots cut the deficit down to 2, 69-67, after a 3 by Faith Accardo, who led her team with 23 points. MLC was able to put the game away, however, after a pair of clutch free throws from Morris and some tough defense to force a missed 3 by Accardo in the closing seconds.

“I think we got a lot of defensive stops in that second quarter,” Feidt said. “That really helped us push and then turn it into offensive points, too. So that really kind of helps us start that trend where we’re getting defensive stops to offensive points and converting them. And in the third and fourth quarter, we just came out strong and ready to work and ready to get that win.”

The Knights, now 2-1, will look to heal up and continue improving the rest of the season, something Morris sees happening.

“I think our team’s just going to keep growing and keep progressively getting better, so it’s just super exciting,” Morris said. “Especially having limited practices with people in volleyball and soccer and coming and getting to pull it together this close, everyone just works so hard and has so much grit and wants to win. The desire to win is for everybody. No one’s just gonna go out there, everyone’s gonna go give it their all.”

The Knights host Hamline University at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.