COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Even though Luke Harris scored a game-high 30 points, Matt Banovetz matched his career high with 25 points, and Spencer Goetz tallied a career-high 16 points of his own, the Carleton College men's basketball team was out-raced by MIAC leader Saint John's University by a 102-90 tally.
 
Both teams shot over 50 percent on the night, as Carleton (10-7, 7-5 MIAC) hit 50.8 percent of its attempts from the floor and Saint John's (14-4, 12-1 MIAC) nailed 62.7 percent of its shots, the fifth-best shooting day for a MIAC team this season. The two sides both tried two dozen 3-pointers, with the Knights making 11 (45.8 percent) and the Johnnies knocking down 12 (50.0 percent). Carleton went 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) on free throws, and Saint John's was 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
The 30-point effort for Harris was the second such game of the point guard's career, the first coming on Nov. 21 against these same Johnnies. He also snagged a team-high seven rebounds, collected three steals, and moved into 20th place on the program's all-time scoring list (see chart below).

Banovetz's 25 points, racked up primarily via a 6-of-10 performance from 3-point land, tied a career-high. It was the third time he hit that mark and second time this season.

Goetz reset his career high with his 16-point night, as he went 8-of-10 from the field and dished out a game-best five assists. He also helped limit Saint John's leading scorer Kooper Vaughen to only six points on 1-of-8 shooting.
 
The Knights jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the opening four minutes thanks to a trio of Banovetz 3-pointers. Sam Koelling's layup gave Carleton a 23-20 advantage with 11:20 left in the first half, but the visitors were outscored 21-4 over the next six minutes and found themselves facing a a 41-27 deficit at 5:19. Saint John's stretched its lead to 21 points by intermission, 60-39, as the hosts spread the wealth with six players scoring seven or more points in the first stanza while the team shot a blistering 66.7 percent for the frame.
 
The Knights did their best to cut into the deficit, slicing the margin to 76-71 after Miles Frisch hit a 3-pointer 11:09 remaining in the game. However, Carleton was kept at arm's length by the home team for the remainder of the contest and saw its three-game winning streak halted.
 
Five Johnnies scored in double figures, with Zach Longueville topping the lineup with 19 points along with adding four assists. Ryan Thissen scored 17 points with four helpers of his own. Kyle Johnson scored 16 on 4-of-5 shooting from deep, while Griffin Rushin notched 15 points, and Blake Berg rounded out the quintuplet with 11 points.
 
With Johnson and Rushin leading the way, the Saint John's bench out-scored its Carleton counterparts by a 45-11 margin. The Johnnie reserves went 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from beyond the arc while the starting five was only 4-of-13 (30.7 percent).
 
The last time Carleton allowed an opponent to reach 100 points was Nov. 27, 2021, when the Knights topped Trinity University (TX) 103-100.
 
Up Next for the Knights:
Carleton heads to the shores of Lake Superior to play the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday, Jan. 27. Tipoff at Reif Gym is set for 3:00 p.m.

Carleton Men's Basketball 1,000-Point Club
Rank   --   Points   --   Name   --   Years
 1.   --   2,029   --   Zach Johnson (106 G)   --   2005-09
 2.   --   1,967   --   Josh Wilhelm (97 G)   --   1995-99
 3.   --   1,903   --   Gerrick Monroe (105 G)   --   1989-93
 4.    --   1,682   --   Kent Hanson (99 G)   --   2016-20
 5.   --   1,467   --   Dan Forkrud (108 G)   --   2002-06
 6.   --   1,445   --   Kyle Beste (105 G)   --   2001-05
 7.   --   1,440   --   Ivan Grimm (64 G)   --   1958-60
 8.   --   1,438   --   Jeremy Beckler (76 G)   --   2019-23
 9.   --   1,423   --   Kevin Grow (103 G)   --   2014-18
10.   --   1,366   --   Scott Krohn (105 G)   --   1989-93
11.   --   1,356   --   Mark Wandmacher (70 G)    --   1981-84
12.   --   1,300   --   Laurie Slocum (87 G)   --   1951-55
13.   --   1,268   --   Tommy Drake (102 G)   --   2004-08
14.   --   1,246   --   Bryan Rosett (108 G)   --   2006-10
15.   --   1,205   --   Roy Hanson (64 G)   --   1975-79
16.   --   1,196   --   Tanner Schieck (92 G)   --   2000-04
17.   --   1,162   --   Jeremy Sutherland (103 G)   --   2006-11
18.   --   1,155   --   Tom Sawatzke (106 G)   --   2009-13
19.   --   1,136   --   Jim Tolf (59 G)   --   1979-82
20.   --   1,108   --   Luke Harris (67 G)   --   2021-pres
21.   --   1,103   --   Jim Lovrien (99 G)   --   1995-98
22.   --   1,102   --   Jake Phillips (108 G)   --   2003-07
23.   --   1,100   --   Scott Theisen (104 G)   --   2009-13
24.   --   1,095   --   Dave Current (62 G)   --   1960-63
25.   --   1,086   --   Leon Smith (60 G)   --   1971-74
26.   --   1,070   --   Scott Christensen (91 G)   --   1999-2903
27.   --   1,068   --   Howard Rosenblum (87 G)   --   1951-55
28.   --   1,050   --   Seth Jonker (108 G)   --   2007-11
29.   --   1,045   --   Michael Armacost (65 G)   --   1955-58
30.    --   1,023   --   Tom Klimisch (99 G)   --   1991-95
31.   --   1,013   --   August Schlaffer (84 G)   --   1946-50