NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Luke Harris poured in a game-high 25 points as the Carleton College men's basketball team came from behind to defeat Buena Vista University, 62-60, in non-conference action. Sam Koelling scored 13 of his 16 points after intermission, including all the points during a game-changing 11-0 late in the second half.
 
"What a great fight from our team tonight," said Carleton head coach Ryan Kershaw. "I'm so proud of the group for staying in the game to give ourselves a chance at the end. We had so many guys step in and step up throughout the game which was wonderful and satisfying to see. This is a really fun team to coach, and I am excited to see our progress throughout the season."
 
In the first half, Carleton (2-1) trailed for all but 48 seconds of play. Buena Vista (1-1) led by as much as nine in the opening stanza. Marcel Pierre-Louis, making his collegiate debut sparked the Knights on a mini-7-2 run to close the half when he elevated for a tip-in layup with 3:21 remaining. The hosts headed into intermission down 32-28.
 
Koelling was in foul trouble early, limiting him to just seven minutes of first-half action, but Harris kept the Knights in the contest with 17 points in as many minutes of first-half play.
 
Carleton trailed 56-49 with 5:00 minutes remaining before Koelling embarked on a solo 11-0 run, during which he went 4-of-4 from the field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. While Koelling was on fire, the Beavers went cold, missing three field goals and committing four consecutive turnovers. The Knights, now ahead 60-56 with 2:06 left on the clock, held their first lead since 5-4 less than two minutes into the contest.
 
Zane Neubaum knocked down a pair of free throws to pull Buena Vista to within 60-58 with 21 seconds remaining, but Gabe Cummings converted both ends of a one-and-one with 0:06 on the clock to provide the final cushion as the Beavers' Gunner Reed tallied layup right before the final buzzer.
 
Harris made 10-of-18 shots in the contest and had two steals. He surpassed the 20-point plateau for the third straight game to start the season and the 24th time in his career. Rookie Tobias Averill added 13 points for the Knights.
 
Neubaum paced Buena Vista with 21 points, while Carter Sievers collected 17 points, and Reed contributed 14 points.
 
Carleton shot 41.8 percent overall and was 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) beyond the arc. Buena Vista connected on 47.2 percent of its attempts but was only 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from long range. The Knights made all seven of their free throw attempts, while the Beavers were 6-of-10 at the charity stripe.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Before preparing for fall term final exams, Carleton will host Bethany Lutheran College on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Tip off is slated for 7:00 p.m. at West Gym.