NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team waltzed to a 79-59 victory in their MIAC lid-lifter against Saint Mary's University, aided by a game-high 22 points from Matt Drake.
 
The Knights (3-2, 1-0 MIAC) led for the final 33 minutes, and held the Cardinals (0-8, 0-1 MIAC) at arm's length for most of that time. Carleton shot 47.1 percent from the field overall and went 9-for-28 (32.1 percent) from deep. The hosts limited Saint Mary's to a 31.7 percent mark from the floor and just 24.3 percent (9-for-37) from beyond the arc. Carleton out-rebounded its foes, 47-32, and dished out a season-high 16 assists to just 10 turnovers.
 
Drake tallied his 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, hitting a career-best four 3-pointers on eight tries. The sophomore had hit just one triple on the year entering the game. The reigning MIAC Rookie of the Year has scored 20-plus in each of his last four games, averaging 21.5 points per game over the span.
 
Ten different Knights found their way onto the scoresheet, including a career-high 10 for Will Breall, and 10 apiece from Tobias Averill and Sam Koelling. Averill tacked on four assists and Koelling pulled in six boards and two steals. Patrick Smith doubled his previous career high on the glass with 14 rebounds, while also setting a new personal best with four assists.
 
A platoon swap after six-and-a-half minutes sparked the Knights, who had begun by hitting three of their first nine shots. The bench spurred the Knights to a lead they wouldn't relinquish, as a bucket from Breall made it 8-7 at 13:12. Eight points from Breall, six from George Norsman, and a trio of assists by Andrew Weber led to a 19-7 swing in the substitutes' time on-court, giving the hosts a 25-14 lead at the 8:31 mark of the first half.
 
Carleton kept Saint Mary's at that distance for the remainder of the stanza. Drake scored the final eight points of the half for the Knights, concluding with a long trey just before the clock hit zero. That bucket gave Carleton a 41-27 edge after 20 minutes.
 
Drake stayed hot out of the locker room, scoring 10 more in the opening six minutes of the second half. The tricky guard poured in a floater at 14:02 to make it 58-42, Carleton. The maize and blue never let the Cardinals get a rhythm going, and a tough lay-in at 8:27 from Marcel Pierre-Louis gave Carleton a 22-point lead at 70-48. The Knights were able to see the game out over the final eight minutes and ease to a conference opener victory.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton continues its MIAC schedule with a trip up to Duluth to square off with the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tip-off at Reif Gym is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.