ST. PETER, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team fell on the road to the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties by a score of 76-62, despite Luke Harris scoring a game-high 24 points.
 
The Knights (2-3, 0-2 MIAC) shot 43.1 percent overall but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from 3-point range. Gustavus (3-3, 2-0 MIAC) shot 46.3 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent from long range. Carleton did pick up 10 steals on the evening but was outrebounded 44-23 by the Gusties. The difference in the scoreline was made up almost entirely in charity stripe work, as Carleton shot 8-of-15 while Gustavus hit 20 of 26 free throw tries.
 
The Gusties raced out to a 6-0 lead, until Matt Banovetz finished a layup through a foul at 17:16 to go, earning three points the old-fashioned way for Carleton. The Knights stayed tight but trailed until some nifty ball movement sprung Brandon Szeto on the wing for a game-tying triple that knotted the score at 20-20 with 8:17 left in the first half. Gabriel Cummings put Carleton in front with a layup on the next possession.
 
However, the Gusties reeled off a 13-4 run, with Brady Kienitz extending the lead to nine with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Gustavus eventually took a 39-33 lead into halftime.
 
Carleton started the second half well and eventually tied the game at 43-43 on two Harris free throws with 13:59 remaining in the contest. Gustavus responded again, this time with an impressive 18-1 run that spanned over six minutes. Carleton endured a seven-minute field goal drought at one point, a drought finally snapped by Alex Gibbens' jumper with 7:20 to go.
 
The Gusties maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
 
Harris' 24 points led all scorers, and the reigning MIAC Offensive Player of the Week also picked up three steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Banovetz notched his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game with 13 points. Szeto and Cummings had five points apiece off the bench.
 
Wyatt Olson led the way for Gustavus, notching 23 points with nine rebounds. Evan Wieker added 16 points for the hosts. Gustavus leading scorer Spencer Swanson was limited to eight points but pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to aid the Gusties' dominance on the glass.
 
Carleton has dropped consecutive MIAC games for the only the second time since Feb. 12, 2020.
 
Up Next for the Knights             
Carleton will battle for the Goat Trophy as the Knights play at crosstown rival St. Olaf on Monday, Dec. 4. Tipoff at the Skoglund Center is set for 7:00 p.m.