NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Kent Hanson (Sr./St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) poured in 34 points and added 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, but Carleton College men's basketball team came out on the wrong end of a tight tussle with visiting Augsburg University, falling by a 93-89 final tally.
 
The game featured the top two scorers in the MIAC and neither Hanson (19.3 points per game entering the day) nor Augsburg (14-5, 10-4 MIAC) senior Booker Coplin (21.8 points per game coming into this one) disappointed the crowd at West Gym.
 
The first period was a back-and-forth affair as neither team led by more than six points. Eventually Carleton (8-12, 5-10 MIAC) carried a narrow 44-43 lead into halftime, as Hanson went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, part of his career-best 8-for-12 showing from long range. Hanson's eight 3-pointers tied him for the third-highest single-game total in Carleton history and the most by a Knight since 2001. Meanwhile Coplin, the reigning NCAA D-III Player of the Year, accounted for 21 of his team's 43 first-half points.
 
The second half was more of the same as Carleton and Augsburg swapped point for point.  Neither team managed much separation as the contest featured 13 ties and eight lead changes.
 
Hanson and Coplin continued to trade buckets as both players accounted for 19 points after intermission. Hanson finished one point shy of his career-best total, while Coplin ended the day with a season-best 40 points.
 
Augsburg led 78-76 with 4:00 to go before the visitor's used a mini 8-0 run to open up its largest of the day at 86-76 with 1:01 still to play.
 
Carleton tried to close the gap using three-pointers by Jeremy Beckler (Fy./Lino Lakes, Minn./White Bear Lake), Beck Page (Fy./Longmont, Colo./Longmont), and Henry Bensen (Sr./Roseville, Minn./Roseville) in the final minute, but Augsburg went 7-of-10 at the free-throw line down the stretch to hang for the win.
 
Carleton shot 51 percent from the field and matched its season high with 13 treys. The Knights also went 12-for-13 at the free throw line. Augsburg shot 49 percent on the day and made a dozen 3-pointers. The Auggies were 15-of-20 at the charity stripe, where they scored their final nine points.
 
In addition to Hanson's 22nd career double-double, Carleton saw double-digit scoring from Alex Battist (So./Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) (22 points) and Beckler (18 points). Bensen contributed seven points, seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
 
Joining Coplin in double figures for the Auggies was Joe Palmer, who added 15 points, while both Martin Mitchell and Matt Carik chipped in 13 points.
 
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS: Carleton will host Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 PM in West Gym. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Knights are two-and-a-half games behind sixth-place Saint Mary's for the final spot in the MIAC playoffs.