MINNEAPOLIS – Despite holding a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter, North Central women's basketball could not outlast the Knights of Martin Luther College, dropping their Friday night conference contest by a final of 49-67.

The Rams' (3-10 overall, 1-6 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) defense and rebounding, combined with MLC's (5-9, 4-3 UMAC) cold shooting from behind the three-point arc (2-11, .182), allowed NCU to lead 14-13 after the first 10 minutes and keep pace with Martin Luther through the first few minutes of the second quarter before the Knights went on a surge, scoring 11 unanswered points. In the last seven minutes of the first half, MLC outscored NCU 17-4, with all of North Central's points coming from free throws. At halftime, the Knights held a 38-23 lead.

Martin Luther came out of the locker room on a 4-0 run before junior Lizzy Swanson (Askov, Minn./East Central) ended the Rams' drought by laying in NCU's first field goal in almost nine minutes of play. From there, North Central fought back to outscore the Knights 14-11 in the third frame and pull within 11 points. However, the Rams couldn't keep up the pace or overcome their first-half deficit, as they went just 1-8 (.125) from three-point range and shot .200 overall in the final 20 minutes.

Swanson led all scorers with 20 points, on pace with her UMAC-leading average. Freshman Annabel Morrisroe (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet) added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. As a team, the Rams pulled down 43 rebounds but were out-edged by the Knights' 46. NCU also lost the turnover battle, committing 17 to Martin Luther's 5.

North Central will be back in action in the CLC Gymnasium on Saturday against Bethany Lutheran College (6-8) for more UMAC action. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.