NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team faced an 11-point deficit with 7:43 remaining in regulation but rallied to defeat Saint Mary's University, 76-66 in overtime.
 
"I was really impressed with how we defended over the last six or seven minutes of regulation. Our guys made some good adjustments throughout the game and showed a lot of mental toughness after getting off to a bit of a rough start early on," said Carleton head coach Guy Kalland. "We got some valuable contributions from guys up and down the lineup on both ends of the floor to keep us in it, and Jeremy came up with a big shot to get us to overtime. I'm really happy for the guys and pleased with the result."
 
Alex Battist (Sr./Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) led four Carleton (15-6, 12-5 MIAC) starters in double figures with 19 points to go along with his six rebounds and three blocks. Alex Gibbens (So./New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Jeremy Beckler (Jr./Lino Lakes, Minn./White Bear Lake) score 12 of his 14 points after halftime, including the game-tying jumper with six seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. Beck Page (Jr./Longmont, Colo./Longmont) chipped in 11 points via a trio of 3-pointers.
 
No starters reached double-digit scoring for the Saint Mary's (8-15, 6-13 MIAC). Noah Frechette came off the bench to score his game-high 23 points for the Cardinals, as did Jabari Sawyer, who added 13 points.
 
Battist converted a pair of early layups to give Carleton a 4-2 lead, but the Knights would miss 15-of their next-18 shots over a more than 13-minute stretch and faced a 27-17 deficit with 4:30 left in the first half.
 
Carleton made four baskets late in the period, including triples from Page and Gibbens, but still trailed 36-27 at halftime.
 
The Knights shot only 31 percent in the first half, including 3-of-12 (25 percent) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Saint Mary's shot 54 percent before intermission and was 4-of-9 (44 percent) from long range.
 
After halftime, Carleton found its rhythm at both ends of the floor, shooting a combined 65 percent during the second half and overtime, including 8-of-14 (57 percent) from 3-point land. The Knights limited the Cardinals to only 31 percent shooting over the final 25 minutes, with the Saint Mary's going 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from beyond the arc. That defensive work helped overcome a season-worst 22 turnovers for Carleton.
 
After Frechette drained a 3-pointer that put Saint Mary's ahead 58-47 with 7:43 left in the second half, the Carleton defense took over as the Knights allowed only four points over the balance of regulation.
 
Gibbens and Beckler combined for the game's next eight points to make it a one-possession game. Frechette scored again to give the Cardinals a five-point lead with 2:31 still to play, but a Battist layup and Page 3-pointer knotted the score at 60-60 with 39 seconds remaining.
 
Raheem Anthony, the Saint Mary's leading scorer this season, finished with only six points, but his last bucket of the game was nearly the difference. He converted a contested jumper in the lane to give the visitors a 62-60 lead with 13 seconds still to go.
 
On the ensuing Carleton possession, Beckler's fadeaway tied the score at 62-62 and forced overtime.
 
Carleton outscored Saint Mary's 14-4 in the extra period, including five points for Beckler, four points for Luke Harris (Fy./Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont), and clutch 3-pointer from Gibbens.
 
After the slow start, Knights rebounded to shoot 47 percent overall compared to 40 percent for Saint Mary's. Overall, Carleton outscored the Cardinals 29-8 over the final 12:43 of game time.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hosts Bethel University for the regular-season finale at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The Knights will then rest up for their quarterfinal matchup in the MIAC Playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 22 against an opponent to be determined.