NEW ULM, Minn. – In a tightly contested battle for each team's first win of the season, the Martin Luther Knights (1-1) edged out the Saint Mary's men's basketball team (0-2) 88–81 on the road Tuesday night.
Five Cardinals finished in double figures, led by sophomores Reid Weckwerth and Sawyer Markham, who each posted 15 points along with two assists and a steal. Jackson Harvey recorded his first double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and pulling down a career-high 20 rebounds, while Reid Klug added 14 points on 50 percent shooting from the field.
The Cardinals came out strong, setting the tone with tight defense and control of the tempo. Klug opened with the team's first five points, and a fast-break layup from Markham pushed Saint Mary's ahead 7–2 just three minutes in. The Knights found their footing midway through the half, capitalizing on turnovers to close the gap, though the Cardinals still held a 14–13 edge with 11:45 remaining.
After Martin Luther briefly took its first lead, a layup from Harvey and a fast-break three by Klug sparked a Cardinal response, reclaiming the lead 21–18 and forcing a Knights timeout. The first half remained a back-and-forth battle, with late corner threes from John Palmer and Weckwerth giving Saint Mary's a short-lived six-point cushion. The Knights, however, answered with a buzzer-beater to send the game to halftime 38–35.
Despite outrebounding the Knights 20–12, turnovers and missed second-chance looks kept the Cardinals from taking control.
Markham opened the second half by scoring the first four points, giving Saint Mary's a 44–42 edge. The next stretch saw gritty play from both sides, but a cold spell left the Cardinals trailing 52–47 with just under 13 minutes to play. True to the game's back-and-forth nature, Weckwerth buried a three and Abraham Kamara followed with a steal and layup to tie things at 52.
After the seventh tie of the night, Martin Luther capitalized on a string of Cardinal miscues to build an eight-point lead, 65–57, with seven minutes remaining. The Cardinals showed resilience late, using a quick six-point swing that was highlighted by Kamara's layup, Weckwerth's free throw, and a three-pointer to pull within four at 72–68 and force a Knights timeout.
In the final minutes, however, the Knights took advantage of Saint Mary's defensive miscommunications to extend their lead and closed the game at the free-throw line, shooting over 90 percent from the stripe to seal the win.
Saint Mary's will look to bounce back on Homecoming Saturday, hosting North Central (MN) at 1 p.m.
