CLAREMONT, Calif. – Thanks in part to a career-best all-around game for Spencer Goetz, the Carleton College men's basketball team knocked off No. 23-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 83-75 on the final day of play at the David Wells Classic. The game was a neutral-site contest played at Pomona-Pitzer's Voelkel Gymnasium.
 
"I can't say enough good things about our players and how we played collectively today," said Carleton head coach Ryan Kershaw. "We've had a couple of close results that did not fall our way, and our guys were up to the task against a very talented, organized, and well-coached CMS team.
 
"We knew we needed to rebound better today than we did in our last two games, and the guys responded accordingly. We are very appreciative to have had the opportunity to travel out West to play these excellent teams and believe this experience will help prepare us for what will be almost certainly be another very competitive MIAC race this season."
 
Goetz nearly recorded a triple double as the defensive star match his career high with 10 points to go along with eight rebounds, two steals, and a career-best nine assists. Point guard Luke Harris poured in 29 points and added eight rebounds of his own as the Knights (2-2) shot a season-best 50.8 percent overall. Carleton finished the game with a 42-20 edge in points in the paint and a 34-28 advantage on the boards.
 
Claremont-M-S (2-2) grabbed its second and final lead of the contest at 6-5 with 17:16 left in the first half, but Sam Koelling converted a layup 22 seconds later to move the Knights back in front.
 
Carleton built a nine-point lead on multiple occasions during the first half, only to see the Stags pull within 40-38 with 1:54 still to play before intermission. Harris and Matt Banovetz combined to score six unanswered points, giving the Knights a 46-38 lead at the break.
 
Carleton shot 56.3 percent over the initial 20 minutes, while the Stags connected at a 50.0 percent clip. Goetz had eight points and seven assists in the period.
 
The Knights started the second half on a mini 8-3 run and opened up a 54-41 lead with 17:20 left to play. Carleton still led by a baker's dozen, 62-49, after Goetz corralled an offensive rebound and scored in the lane with 13:03 on the clock, but the Stags put together a 15-2 run over the next five-plus minutes and knotted the score at 64-64.
 
Harris and Banovetz scored all the points during Carleton's subsequent 10-0 run that gave the Knights some breathing room. The dynamic duo scored 17 of Carleton's 19 points over the final 7:30 of the contest.
 
Banovetz finished with 15 points, while Koelling was the fourth Knight in double figures after tallying 11 points and another three steals.
 
Josh Angle had 22 points to lead C-M-S, with Will King and Caelan Jones accounting for 14 points apiece.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton returns to Minnesota and will visit Gustavus Adolphus College for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday, Nov. 29