ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Five Knights finished in double figures, including a team-high 18 points from Miles Frisch, as the Carleton College men's basketball team claimed an 81-78 victory at Bethel University.
 
The win clinched a top-4 seed in the upcoming MIAC Playoffs for Carleton (15-8, 12-6 MIAC), allowing the Knights to begin the postseason with a home game during either the quarterfinals or semifinals depending on how the final week of the regular season plays out.
 
Frisch fell one point shy of tying his career high. Matt Banovetz contributed 17 points, grabbed six boards and dished out four assists as well. Spencer Goetz chipped in 14 points of his own with five assists. Luke Harris and Sam Koelling rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Knights with 10 points apiece. Harris added six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Koelling matched his career best with 8 rebounds.
 
The Knights led for all but the opening seconds of the first half, thanks to an efficient shooting half. In the opening frame, the Knights shot 19-of-30 (63 percent) from the field. On the other end of the floor, Bethel (12-1, 9-9 MIAC) made less than 33 percent of its attempts.
 
Harris' coast-to-coast layup in the closing seconds put the Knights up 42-28 at intermission as Carleton shot 63 percent over the first 20 minutes.
 
Bethel found its shooting stroke during halftime as the Royals made 12-of their first-16 shots out of the break and shot 64 percent over the final 20 minutes.
 
After being limited to only two points in the opening stanza, Bethel's leading scorer Payton Thomsen scored 17 of his game-high 19 points during the second half. The Knights were able to maintain their lead thanks to Frisch, who scored 17 points of his own after intermission, including all 10 Carleton points over a two-minute stretch early in the period.
 
Some second-half foul trouble for Carleton allowed the Royals to slowly chip away at the deficit. With just over five minutes to play, the Royals whittled the Knights lead down to 68-67. Zach Doely's hook shot at the 3:43 mark gave Bethel a 72-70 lead, its first advantage on the scoreboard since the opening minute of the contest.
 
Frisch knotted the score with a pair of free throws to tie the game again, then drained another 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor.
 
Bethel knotted the score back up at 75-75 before Goetz converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:05 remaining. Carleton made a defensive stop, and Banovetz pushed the lead to five with a midrange fadeaway with only 22 seconds remaining.
 
The Royals answered with a 3-pointer, and Carleton went 1-of-2 at the charity stripe, giving the Bethel once final possession. A bid for a game-tying triple rimmed out, giving the Knights the victory and a sixth consecutive win in the series.
 
While Thomsen was leading the comeback, Doely finished with 16 rebounds and 15 points for his 12th double-double of the season. Caden Boettcher contributed 11 off the bench for Bethel.
 
Overall, the Knights shot 55.9 percent including 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc and 9-of-15 (60 percent) from the charity stripe. The Royals converted on 46.4 percent of their field goals, including 9-of-25 (36 percent) from downtown and 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) from the line.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton closes the regular season with two home contests. The Knights will host Macalester College at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14 before welcoming Saint Mary's University to West Gym for a 3:00 p.m. Senior Day tilt on Saturday, Feb. 17