NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Alex Gibbens (So./New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) scored 18 of his career-high 21 points in the second half, but it was not enough to help the Carleton College men's basketball team overcome a frigid start as the Knights lost 70-56 to Macalester College in the MIAC Playoffs Quarterfinals.
 
"Obviously very disappointed in the outcome tonight. Our guys battled back in the second half, but we couldn't overcome the deficit we dug for ourselves with poor shooting in the first 20 minutes," said Carleton head coach Guy Kalland. "Tonight's outcome stings for sure, but it does not diminish the successful season this group had. Sixteen wins and a third-place finish in the conference speak to the totality of success that the group achieved over the course of the year. Additionally, we want to thank Alex Battist for his many contributions to our program over the last four years. He has improved every year in all aspects of his game and has left an undeniable mark on our teams success. He and his family will be missed."
 
No. 3 seed Carleton (16-7, 13-5 MIAC) jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind a game-opening 3-pointer by Gibbens and a jumper by Luke Harris (Fy./Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont). No. 6 seed Macalester (14-12, 9-10 MIAC) responded with a 9-0 run and would not trail the remainder of the contest.
 
The Knights shot only 22.2 percent in the first half, including a 2-of-10 showing from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Scots were torching the nets at a 58.6 percent clip, while going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.
 
Harris made two free throws to pull Carleton to within 18-14 with 10:17 left in the opening period, but the Knights made only 1-of-13 field goal attempts over the remainder of the half. Over the same 10-minute span, Macalester hit 9-of-14 shots, including four 3-pointers.
 
Harris hit twice more from the charity stripe to account for the other Carleton points before intermission as the Knights faced a 40-18 deficit at the break.
 
After trailing by as many as 24 points early in the second half, the Knights pulled within single digits at 60-51 with 2:24 to go. The Scots took care of business at the free throw line to remove any hopes of a late Carleton comeback.
 
Carleton out-shot the Scots 45 percent to 26 percent in the second half, but the large halftime deficit proved too much to overcome.
 
In addition to Gibbens' strong finish, Harris added 14 points, and Alex Battist (Sr./Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove), the lone senior on the Knights roster posted his sixth career double-—12 points, 13 rebounds—in his final game in the maize and blue.
 
With a 16-7 overall ledger this season, Carleton posted its highest winning percentage since the 2007-08 camptain.
 
Coby Gold scored a team-high 21 points—thanks to a blistering 6-of-7 effort from 3-point range—to pace Macalester. Gabriel Ramos added a double-double for the Scots, finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Caleb Williams also reached double figures.
 
Prior to this year, the Scots had not played in the postseason since 2005 but thanks to a first-round victory over No. 11 seed St. Scholastica on Saturday and the victory tonight, Macalester has now won back-to-back MIAC Playoff games for the first time in program history, including its first MIAC tournament road triumph. The Scots will visit No. 2 seed Augsburg University in the semifinals on Friday evening.