Courtesy of Adam Hussman/MLC SID

NEW ULM — The Martin Luther College men’s basketball team picked up a nonconference victory over Buena Vista on Tuesday night, trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half and overcame the deficit to beat the Beavers 80-74.

The game featured a tale of two halves, as the two teams played polar opposites in each half. Buena Vista controlled the first 20 minutes of play and were connecting on their shots from deep going 8 for 20 (40 percent), while MLC had difficulty making their 3-pointers, shooting 2 for 13 (15.4 percent). Additionally, the Beavers played fundamentally sound on defense and had the momentum going into the break with a 42-32 lead.

The Knights dominated the second half, as MLC flipped a switch and played with a lot more intensity and grit on both ends of the court. As a result, the Knights quickly trimmed their halftime deficit and tied the game 49-49 with just under 12 minutes left.

MLC received a big spark from Thomas Balge, who attacked the hoop and jumpstarted the Knights’ rally by getting high-percentage shots. Balge’s drives to the basket also opened up the drive-and-kick game, as Adam Loberger found his rhythm in the second half, knocking down two critical 3-pointers. Benjamin Vasold also made a solid hustle play tracking down a loose ball to then get back onto the court to hit a shot from beyond the arc to put MLC up 68-60.

The Knights would go up 70-60, but the Beavers stayed in the game and cut it to 72-70 with 1:41 remaining. However, MLC wouldn’t let Buena Vista regain the lead and held off the Beavers with some free throws and a Balge layup to secure the home win.

MLC shot much better in the second half, shoting 57 percent while Buena Vista struggled to make the shots that went in the hoop in the first half and went 1-for-20 from deep in the second half and 31 percent overall.

“Our players committed to focus on controlling what they could control. I felt that helped free us up to step up our defense and it helped us win the loose ball battle,” MLC head coach Greg Holzhueter said of his team’s effort in the second half. “Balge got going for us, which was huge, and our shots started to drop after that. I’m proud of how our guys responded to adversity tonight.”

Loberger paced MLC in scoring (26 points, 9 rebounds) and went 10 for 13 from the charity stripe. Balge had a season-high 17 points on 62 percent shooting and Benjamin Pearson added 13 points and eight boards. Vasold was the fourth MLC player to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds.

MLC (3-3) has one final game before Christmas Break when they go to Bethel this Saturday, Dec. 14. That game will be played at 6 p.m. in St. Paul.