Courtesy of Adam Hussman/MLC SID

ST. BONIFACIUS — Adam Loberger reached the 1,000-point milestone for Martin Luther College in Wednesday’s 77-66 win at Crown College.

Loberger achieved the feat in just his sophomore season, leading the Knights with a season-high 35 points on 54 percent shooting from the field, and helped MLC bounce back from its home loss last Saturday against UW-Superior.

Loberger leads the UMAC in scoring (22.7 ppg) and also paced the Knights in assists (4) and steals (2). MLC completed the season sweep of the Polars, with Benjamin Pearson also playing a vital role in the Knights’ success. The sophomore guard went for another double-double, reeling in a career-best 16 rebounds to go with 17 points. Pearson shot the ball at a 60 percent clip, while his team shot over 45 percent overall and connected on 87 percent of its free throw attempts.

MLC moved the ball well and found its groove with 38 points in the paint. With the score 27-26 at the 5:42 mark of the first half, MLC closed out the half with some momentum, going on a 12-4 run to go up 39-30 at the break.

The Knights didn’t let up in the second half and kept the Polars from making a comeback, staying ahead of Crown by double-digits for the entirety of the half. Senior Thomas Balge added 14 points to the cause, while Benjamin Vasold grabbed nine rebounds from the Knights’ backcourt.

With the win, MLC (11-12, 5-5) moves into a 4th-place tie with Crown in the UMAC standings and would hold the tiebreaker over the Polars if both teams remained tied by the end of the season. MLC’s 11 wins thus far are also the most wins for the program since the 2008-09 season, when the Knights finished (17-9, 11-3).

MLC makes a return trip to Minnesota Morris on Saturday, February 14, against the first-place Cougars at 2:45 p.m.