ST. PETER, Minn. – Matthew Stritzel (So./Chicago, Ill./Niles Notre Dame) caught fire in the second half, pouring in 19 of his game-high 21 points in the period, but the Carleton College men’s basketball team fell on the road at Gustavus Adolphus College by a 67-61 tally.
After finishing with just two points in the first half, the sophomore from Chicago nearly brought the Knights (6-15, 4-12 MIAC) back from a 15-point deficit late in the game, knocking down four 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes of play. However, Gustavus (10-11, 7-9 MIAC) made some key defensive plays down the stretch and took advantage of their late-game free throws to send Carleton home with a disappointing setback.
Neither team shot particularly well in the first half, but the Gusties managed to jump out to a 9-0 lead to begin the affair. Stritzel opened up the scoring for Carleton with a layup at the 15:16 mark, but the Knights had trouble erasing the deficit for a while.
With under a minute to play in the first, Kent Hanson (Jr./St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) scored a bucket and was fouled, and he cashed in on the old-fashioned three-point play to bring Carleton within five at 27-22. The score remained that way heading into the break.
The visitors shot just 33.3 percent (9-for-27) from the field in the frame, but their own solid defense kept them within striking distance.
A Hanson jumper at the 15:32 mark made it a three-point game at 36-33, but the Gusties found their stroke and reeled off a 7-0 run to push their lead to double digits and force a Carleton timeout with 12:38 remaining.
Gustavus extended its lead to 55-40 with 6:35 left to play when Stritzel got hot. He poured in nine straight points to bring the Knights within six at the 4:27 mark. The Gusties remained unfazed, forcing a couple of Carleton turnovers in the final minutes of play and icing the game at the free throw line.
Stritzel matched his season-best with the 21 points, including a 4-of-9 showing from downtown. Hanson notched his MIAC-best 10th double-double of the season as he finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
Chipping in for the Knights was Carlston McKenzie (Fy./Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park), who finished with nine points and five boards. Joh Farmer (Sr./Roseville, Minn.) added seven rebounds and two assists in the effort.
Four Gusties finished in double figures. Logan Rezac paced the home team with 15 points and added six rebounds. Isaac Douglas and Riley Sharbono each totaled 11 points, and Nolan Malo contributed 10 points and a team-best eight boards.
The Knights will play host to Macalester College on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. at West Gymnasium. Links to live video and stats will be available on Knights Online.
