New Ulm, MN - The Polars men's basketball team faced off with Martin Luther College on the road and came out on top 78-76.

The Knights jumped out in front early by a score of 14-3 after the Polars managed to knock down just one basket in the first five minutes of play. Crown cut the lead to just 5 points as the Knights led 31-26 with 6 minutes to play in the half. Martin Luther closed out the half going on a 19-9 run and held a 50-35 lead.

The story of the second half was the slow and steady comeback from Crown. Martin Luther led all game until a layup from Parker Behne with 3:47 to go in the contest put Crown ahead 72-71. With under a minute to go the Knights took a two point lead. After a missed three from Crown the Knights turned the ball over with 12 seconds remaining and a fast break layup from Crown evened the score at 76-76. The last few seconds saw Micah Lad knock the ball away and take it coast to coast to take the 78-76 lead with 1 second remaining. A last second heave from the Knights was caught in the paint but the shot didn't fall and Crown took home the victory.

Parker Behne led the scoring for Crown with 18 points and Carter Behne followed close behind with 16 points. Tyrus Buckner tallied 7 rebounds and Rayquan Moore totaled 4 steals in the game. Crown shot 44.3% from the field as a team and 34.3% from three point range.

Crown moves to 12-10 on the season and 5-6 in UMAC play with their next contest being back in St. Bonifacius as the Polars take on Northland College this Saturday, February 15th at 3pm. Read Full Article