NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team secured a resounding 86-70 defeat of Martin Luther College on Monday, with 11 of the 12 players to see the floor getting into the scoring column.
 
Matt Drake and Luke Harris led the way with 13 points apiece. Spencer Goetz stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Josh Engleberg also tallied 11 points, giving Carleton 11-6) four players in double figures. Tobias Averill and Will Breall both scored nine points off the bench, the latter registering a new career high.
 
Benjamin Pearson led Martin Luther (4-9) with 22 points, including 6-of-11 from behind the arc. His 10 rebounds gave him a double-double. Carleton's defense held the nation's 14th leading scorer – Adam Loberger – to a season-low 14 points, nine points below his season average of 23.
 
Carleton nearly led wire-to-wire, needing only 16 seconds to grab the lead when Drake knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing.
 
It was a back-and-forth contest early, but the home team held an early 11-10 advantage with 14:31 left in the first half. Carleton followed with a 16-1 run as the Knights hit 8-of-9 from the field, receiving contributions from eight different players. Meanwhile, the defense forced Martin Luther into a 0-of-8 shooting effort over the same stretch.
 
Carleton headed into halftime leading 46-31, thanks to its reserves, who outscored Martin Luther 21-2 across the first 20 minutes of action. The visitors found the rims at West Gym unkind as they missed their 13 attempts from 3-point range before finishing the half 4-of-22 beyond the arc.
 
The visitors' cold shooting would not last, as they cashed in 5-of their first-6 triples to start the second half. Martin Luther hit its stride offensively, brewing a 19-7 start out of the locker room to trim the deficit to 53-50 with 15:15 remaining.
 
It was still a three-point game with 13:49 left on the clock, before Carleton utilized a 19-3 answer over 7:31 of game time to put the contest out of reach. The visitors got no closer than 13 as Carleton improved to 7-3 on its home court.
 
Carleton finished the evening 36-of-74 (48.6 percent) from the field, including 4-of-14 (22.2 percent) from deep, and 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) from the line. Martin Luther shot 28-of-65 (43.1 percent) from the field, 12-of-40 (30 percent) from three, and only 2-of-6 (33.3 percent) from the line.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton visits cross-town rival St. Olaf College on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m. The Knights won the season's first meeting, 66-57, to maintain possession of the famed Goat Trophy.