NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team held off a second-half surge by visiting Bethel University to claim a 68-59 triumph in the regular-season finale. The win secured the No. 3 seed for the Knights in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs.
 
Alex Gibbens (So./New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) had 16 points to lead four Carleton (16-6, 13-5 MIAC) players that finished with double-figure scoring and six rebounds apiece. Alex Battist (Sr./Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) added 14 points and two blocks, while Jeremy Beckler (Jr./Lino Lakes, Minn./White Bear Lake) accounted for 13 points and two blocks. Luke Harris (Fy./Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) had 11 points and a game-high five assists. Beck Page (Jr./Longmont, Colo./Longmont) chipped in eight points and a pair of steals.
 
Zach Doely posted a double-double to pace Bethel (11-12, 8-10 MIAC), as he tallied a game-high 19 points to go along with 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Tommy Jensen was the only other Royal in double figures, totaling 12 points in the contest.
 
Carleton held a 32-28 lead before the Knights closed the first half with a 12-0 run spanning the final 4:20 of the period. Five different players scored during that stretch as the hosts took a 44-28 lead into intermission.
 
The Knights lead fluctuated between 9 and 14 points over the opening 10 minutes of the second half, and Carleton still led 55-44 after Harris knocked down a jumper in the paint at the 9:56 mark.
 
Bethel made things interesting by putting together a 12-4 run that pulled the visitors to within 59-56 after Jensen converted a layup with 4:33 still to play.
 
As it did at the end of the first half, the Carleton defense took over late in the second half, allowing only three points the rest of the way as Bethel missed 7-of its last-8 field-goal attempts.
 
Carleton shot 41.7 percent and finished at 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from beyond the arc. Bethel made 39 percent of its attempts, including a 4-of-15 showing (26.7 percent) from 3-point range.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Thanks to earning the No. 3 seed in the MIAC Playoffs, Carleton has a first-round bye, so Carleton's next game will be a quarterfinal matchup at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 22. The Knights will host the winner of the No. 6 Macalester vs. No. 11 St. Scholastica opening round game.