ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn.  – The holiday season did not come early for the Luther College men's basketball team Saturday afternoon. The Norse closed Thanksgiving weekend by traveling to St. Bonifacius, Minnesota to take on Crown College. While Luther was hoping to give thanks for a win, the team was unable to leave the neighboring state with a victory, as the Norse fell to the Polars by a final score of 76-64. With the loss, Luther's overall record now stands at 1-4 and the team is 1-0 in conference play. 

BY THE NUMBERS
The Norse got off to a fast start in Minnesota, as they raced out to an 8-3 lead just minutes into the first half. However, Luther watched as Crown slowly started to chip away at its multi-possession lead, eventually whittling it down to 12-10 at the 12 minute mark. When the Polars took a 13-12 lead just minutes later, the two teams battled for momentum and supremacy, as neither led by more than three points. After a 4-0 scoring run, the Norse seemingly regained the lead and the advantage on a layup by Ben Gill (Sydney, Australia / Newington College), jumping ahead 16-15 and extending the lead to 18-15 on a jumper by Myke Shed (Teague, Texas / Teague). However, Crown controlled the final five minutes of the opening half and entered halftime with a 35-30 lead over Luther. 

The Norse were unable to overcome the deficit in the second half despite better offensive play. Luther scored more points in the second half of the ball game on improved shooting, as the team shot nearly 40% from beyond the arc in the second half alone. Unfortunately, the Polars also played better offense in the second half of the ball game, outsourcing the Norse 41-34 to win the game by a final score of 76-64. 

TOP NORSE

• Myke Shed (Teague, Texas / Teague) led Luther in points Saturday afternoon, scoring 10  on 4-7 shooting, including a 2-3 mark from beyond the arc. 
• Mikkel Shutte (Pine Island, Minn. / Houston) and Andrew Lazinbat (San Antonio, Texas / Brandeis) led the team with six rebounds a piece. 

UP NEXT
Luther will return to action on Wednesday, November 30 as the team hosts its rival Wartburg College in the first American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) home game of the 2022-23 season. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Regents Center Gymnasium in Decorah, Iowa.