NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Luke Harris scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and Sam Koelling tallied 18 points as the Carleton College men's basketball team knocked off crosstown rival St. Olaf College 66-57 in a non-conference game at West Gym. With the result, the Knights maintain possession of the famed Goat Trophy.
 
"Very happy with the outcome in a hard-fought and competitive rivalry game," said Carleton head coach Ryan Kershaw. "This game typically brings out another level in both teams, and I think fans saw two teams compete at a high level tonight. We've certainly got some areas to clean up and address, but I am happy for the guys with the way they responded in the second half."
 
St. Olaf (1-11) got off to a hot start, scoring the first seven points of the contest as part of a 11-3 run across the opening 3:45 of action, forcing the Knights to talk things over. Out of the timeout, the Knights (8-4) went on an extended 20-7 run spanning 9:42 of game time to build a 23-18 lead. Harris and Koelling each pitched in six points as part of the run, while the Knights' defense forced four St. Olaf turnovers.
 
A late surge by the Oles permitted the visitors to carry a 33-31 lead heading into the locker room for intermission.
 
The Knights trailed 38-34 less than two minutes into the second half, before erupting for 13 unanswered points as part of a larger 19-5 run, which gave the Knights a 53-43 lead, their largest advantage of the ballgame. During this 7:04 stretch, Harris dropped in 11 of the Knights' 19 points. On the defensive end, the Knights limited the Oles to just 2-of-12 shooting.
 
Carleton still held a 10-point advantage at 55-45 with nine minutes to play, but the Oles showed signs of life with back-to-back triples to make it a four-point ballgame. The Knights would permit their foes to get no closer and closed out their victory of the season, snapping a two-game slide.
 
Harris' 24-point effort was his eighth game of the campaign with at least 20 points. He added six rebounds.
 
Koelling finished with 18 points, two off his season high, and added seven boards. Though scoreless, Spencer Goetz did the dirty work, tallying seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals while holding the Oles' leading scorer Kobe Kirk below his season average.
 
St. Olaf pounded the glass, finishing with a 47-36 edge in rebounding, including 18 offensive boards. The Oles were unable to fully utilize those extra possessions, however, as Carleton managed a 14-9 edge in second-chance points.
 
Carleton shot 41.5 percent overall, including 52.4 percent in the second half. The Knights' defense limited St. Olaf to 31.7 percent shooting overall and 24.2 percent in the second half. The Oles went only 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
Kirk had 15 points to pace three St. Olaf players in double figures, as AJ Uhl and Addi Metcalf followed with 11 and 10, respectively.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton closes its three-game homestand by hosting Hamline University for a men's-women's doubleheader on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tip-off in the men's game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.