Guy Kalland Postgame (mp3)
Northfield, Minn -- Zach Johnson (Jr./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) was a major factor at both ends of the floor as he totaled 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in leading Carleton College to a 65-49 victory over Saint John’s University in the quarterfinals of the MIAC Playoffs. Johnson had 11 points in each half and was 8-for-13 (62 percent) from the field as Carleton (19-7) won its sixth straight game and will face second seeded Gustavus Adolphus (18-7) in the semifinals.
Carleton shot 51 percent in the game, including a blistering 70 percent in the second half to pull away. The Johnnies (14-12) shot only 34 percent from the field, including a 6-for-24 showing from beyond the arc. Saint John’s finished the year with five losses over its final eight games.
The Knights led 26-24 with 18:30 remaining and used a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to exert complete control over the contest. The Carleton advantage did not drop below 14 points, and grew as high as 21, over the tilt’s final 14 minutes.
The Johnnies’ Brady Brink finished his career with a 23-point, 7-rebound effort, but he got little support as no other Saint John’s player scored more than seven points.
Wing Tommy Drake (Sr./Eden Prairie, Minn.) and point guard Jeremy Sutherland (So./Eagan, Minn./St. Bernard’s) both added 12 points for Carleton, but it was their work at the defensive end the floor that paid dividends for the hosts, who recorded their first playoff victory over Saint John’s in four tries.
Drake and Sutherland limited Saint John’s second and third-leading scorers, Ryan Leiser and Chris Schwartz, to 12 combined points on 5-of-23 shooting. That pair had averaged over 29 points a game for Saint John’s. Sutherland, who was unavailable for the previous meeting between these teams, added three steals and two blocks.
The 49 points given up by the Knights was their second-best defensive effort in playoff history, exceeded only by a 55-48 win over Gustavus during the 2006 tourney.
Carleton forward Bryan Rosett (So./Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) contributed nine points, six rebounds a career-best five assists. Carter Biewen (So./Golden Valley, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) chipped in eight points and three boards for the winners.
The Knights never trailed and are victorious in all six games since Sutherland returned from a broken hand. The 19 wins for Carleton this year ranks as the second-most in the program’s history, bested only by the 2005-06 squad that went 21-7.
In the other quarterfinal, #5 Bethel University held off #4 Concordia, 75-64, and will take on top-seeded St. Thomas on Thursday.
The Knights semifinal matchup pits them against a familiar opponent, Gustavus. The teams met only four days ago in St. Peter with Carleton coming out on top, 74-66. The Knights will be looking for their first playoff road win in the program’s history, while the Gusties own a 19-4 mark all-time on their home floor in the conference tourney. The game can be heard on KDHL 920 AM with a simulcast here on Knights Online.
