NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Carleton College senior
Kent Hanson (St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) posted game highs of 33 points and 19 rebounds, but Saint Mary's University junior Eli Cave countered with 27 points—including two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime—to lift the visiting Cardinals to the 79-77 victory.
At 8-8 overall, Saint Mary's has already matched last season's win total, while a 5-6 record in MIAC play gives the Cardinals their highest conference victory total since the 2015-16 campaign. Carleton (7-9, 4-7 MIAC) lost in overtime for the second time this season.
Hanson entered the contest ranked third in the MIAC in scoring at 19.1 points per game, while Cave was fourth at 18.4 points. The duo showcased their scoring abilities throughout the night, hitting shots from the inside and the outside.
Hanson was 13-of-18 overall and went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc along with a game-high four steals. He scored 25 of his 33 points after halftime en route to the second-highest scoring total of his career. This was his sixth career contest with at least 30 points and the most points he's scored in a home game during his career. Hanson also surpassed the 1,500-point plateau for his career. His 19 rebounds are tied for 10th-most in program history and the most by a Knight since Kevin Grow broke the program record with 25 boards on Jan. 7, 2017.
Cave finished 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 9-of-18 overall. The 27 points tied his second-highest total of the season. He added five rebounds, two assists, and a block.
Saint Mary's led by as many as eight in the first half and carried a 37-34 lead into intermission. Carleton began the second half with a 15-4 to open up its largest lead at 49-41 with 13:40 remaining in regulation.
Hanson drained a triple to give Carleton a 67-62 lead with 2:39 remaining in the second half, but the Cardinals scored the next five points, including a 3-pointer by Cave that tied the game at 67-67 with 1:14 left on the clock. Neither team scored over the balance of regulation.
In the overtime period, Carleton rookie
Isaac Tessier (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) got the scoring started at the four-minute mark with a steal and a coast-to-coast layup, giving him 13 points on the night. Saint Mary's sophomore Shawn Pickford answered with a driving layup to tie the score.
Henry Bensen's (Sr./Roseville, Minn./Roseville) only points on the night for Carleton came on a 3-pointer with 3:19 left in overtime, but again Saint Mary's had an immediate response with Sawyer Rosner's triple on the Cardinals' next possession.
Pickford connected again, giving him 11 points in the contest, and Hanson immediately answered with a 3-pointer to put the hosts back on top 75-74 with 1:47 still to go.
Neither team scored on its next possession. Cave then converted a traditional three-point play to give the Cardinals back the lead, but Hanson answered with a tough bucket in the lane to tie things up once again at 77-77 with 0:31 still to play.
Saint Mary's held the ball for the final shot. Cave drew a foul and connected on both free throws. Carleton had 3.1 seconds to locate a tying bucket but could not get a shot off before time expired.
Saint Mary's shot 48 percent for the game, including 4-for-5 in overtime. Carleton shot 44 percent in the game and was 4-for-7 in the extra period, including a pair of 3-pointers. Over the bonus time, the Cardinals were 3-of-3 at the free throw line while the Knights were 0-of-1.
Rosner tallied 15 points and Kevin Gleasen chipped in 11 points to give Saint Mary's four players in double figures.
Jeremy Beckler (Fy./Lino Lakes, Minn./White Bear Lake) was Carleton's third player to reach double-digits in scoring as he notched 22 points, 15 of them in the first half to keep Carleton close. This was the seventh 20+ point game of his rookie campaign.
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton travels to Bethel University for a 7 p.m. affair on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Live audio will be available via athletics.carleton.edu as well as simulcast on KDHL 920 AM in the Northfield/Faribault area.
