MINEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team trailed by only one point at intermission but saw host Augsburg University open the second half with an 24-7 run and the Knights dropped a 73-57 decision.
 
Jeremy Beckler (Fy./Lino Lakes, Minn./White Bear Lake) paced Carleton (1-4, 0-4 MIAC) with a 25-point effort, while Kent Hanson (Sr./St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) contributed 16 points and five assists. All-American Booker Coplin was the lone Augsburg (5-1, 3-0 MIAC) player in double figures as he tallied a game-high 27 points.
 
The Knights closed the first half with a 13-6 spurt capped by a Beckler triple in the closing seconds, a bucket that brought Carleton to within 38-37 at the break.
 
After shooting 70 percent in the first half, Carleton cooled off at halftime and shot only 33 percent in the second stanza. Meanwhile, Augsburg made 11-of its first-16 shots after halftime, as the hosts built a 62-44 advantage midway through the second period. Carleton shot 54 percent overall, compared with 55 percent for Augsburg.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton heads to Concordia College-Moorhead for a men's women's doubleheader on Wednesday, Dec. 11 the first game tips off at 5:00 p.m.