COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team dropped its MIAC opener, falling 79-60 on the road against No. 12-ranked Saint John's University. Alex Battist (So./Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) poured in 24 points to lead the Knights.
 
Despite being without the services of All-Region forward Kent Hanson (Sr./St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy), one of the top scorers in team history, Carleton (1-1, 0-1 MIAC) was able to match the Johnnies' (3-1, 1-0 MIAC) intensity for most of the first half.
 
Battist scored the Knights' first eight points and converted a driving layup to put the visitors in front, 20-19, with 9:15 remaining in the first half. The lead changed hands a half-dozen times during the opening period, with the final switch coming via a 3-pointer by Oakley Baker on the next Johnnies possession. That triple would give the hosts the lead for good.
 
Saint John's shot 60 percent in the first half and carried a 40-32 lead into intermission. The Johnnies started the second half on a 17-3 run that put the game out of reach.
 
A week after scoring a team-high 27 points in his collegiate debut, Isaac Tessier (Fy./White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) was the second Knight to put up double figures, scoring 11 points to go along with his game-high five assists. Beck Page (Fy./Longmont, Colo./Longmont) and Jeremy Beckler (Fy./Lino Lakes, Minn./White Bear Lake) contributed eight points apiece.
 
Battist narrowly missed a double-double as he tied with teammate Henry Benson (Sr./Roseville, Minn./Roseville) with a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Three Johnnies reached double figures in scoring, with Jubie Alade leading all scorers with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Zach Hanson and Oakley chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Both teams shot well from behind the arc as Saint John's hit 47 percent of its attempts, while Carleton finished at 46 percent. Both squads struggled at the free throw line, as each team shot only 50 percent at the charity stripe.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton will take a break for fall term final exams but faces another stiff challenge when the Knights travel to No. 15-ranked University of St. Thomas for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday, Nov. 26.