Knights eliminate two 10-point deficits in victory over UW-River Falls
 
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team dug out of 10-point deficits in both halves of its eventual 72-67 victory over the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Four Knights finished in double figures, including 12 points off the bench for Spencer Goetz, who made his season debut.
 
The Knights (4-1) were doubled up, trailing 20-10 with 12:04 to play in the opening half, before embarking on a 14-2 run which gave the Knights their first lead of the contest at 24-22. A 3-pointer from the right wing by Sam Koelling, who led all Knights with 19 points, put the home team on top with 5:40 before the break. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Falcons (3-3) carried a 34-31 advantage into halftime.
 
Koelling's hot streak continued in the second half, as he nailed an early triple to tie the game back up at 34-34. Both teams came out blazing, scoring a combined 21 points in just the first five minutes.
 
The Falcons used a mini 7-0 run to build a 57-47 lead with 10:45 still to play, but Carleton countered with a 17-4 run spanning nearly seven minutes. Josh Engleberg, Luke Harris, and Goetz accounted for seven, six points, and four points, respectively, during the game-changing rally.
 
With 1:15 still on the clock, the Knights led 66-65 before Engelberg sunk a layup to make it a three-point lead. With 49 seconds to play, Zac Johnson of the Falcons hit a tough stepback from the elbow to again make it a one-point game, but Koelling drained two free throws on the other end to push the lead back up to three.
 
The Falcons, trailing 70-67, had a chance to tie the game with 20 seconds left, but a tough contested layup bounced out and into the hands of Koelling. Two free throws by Matt Drake put the game out of reach, and the Knights secured their fourth consecutive victory.
 
The Knights' offense went 27-of-55 (49.1 percent) from the field, 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from behind the arc, and 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) from the charity stripe. UW-River Falls shot a similar 29-of-59 (49.2 percent) from the field but 3-of-12 (25.0 percent) from deep and 6-of-8 (75 percent) from the line.
 
In addition to his team-high 19 points, Koelling tallied four rebounds and tied his career best with four blocked shots. Engleberg finished with a career-best 15 points. Meanwhile, Harris was held below 20 points for the first time this season, but his 14-point effort was still enough to move him past Scott Krohn and into 10th on Carleton's all-time scoring list (see chart below). Goetz, who had been previously sidelined by injury, notched 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
 
Jack Leifker led all Falcons' scorers with an efficient 19 on 9-of-12 shooting.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton opens MIAC play by hosting the College of Saint Scholastica for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday, Dec. 4
 
Carleton Top-10 Scorers All-Time
1. 2,029  --  Zach Johnson (106 G) '05-'09
2. 1,967  --  Josh Wilhelm (97 G) '95-'99
3. 1,903  --  Gerrick Monroe (105 G) '89-'93
4. 1,682  --  Kent Hanson (99 G) '16-20.
5. 1,467  --  Dan Forkrud (108 G) '02-'06
6. 1,445  --  Kyle Beste (105 G) '01-'05
7. 1,440  --  Ivan Grimm (64 G) '58-'60
8. 1,438  --  Jeremy Beckler (76 G) '19-'23
9. 1,423  --  Kevin Grow (103 G) '14-'18
10. 1,370  --  Luke Harris (81 G) '21-pres