DULUTH, Minn. – The whole squad chipped in for the Carleton College men's basketball team's 73-59 victory at the College of St. Scholastica. All but one starter reached double figures, every player that touched the floor carded two or more rebounds, and a season-high 19 baskets were assisted.
 
Matt Drake led the Knights (4-2, 2-0 MIAC) with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from outside. Josh Engelberg also canned a trio of threes, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. Sam Koelling carded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The junior big added a pair of assists, two steals, and two swats. Patrick Smith poured in a career-high 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting. Tobias Averill did not reach double digits, but he dished out a game-high and career-best seven assists to just one turnover.
 
Smith started strong on the offensive boards, registering a put-back lay and a pair of free throws off an offensive rebound that helped Carleton to a 10-2 run over the opening five minutes.
 
The Saints battled back to within two points after a Drelyn Jones' traditional three-point play at 8:36 made it 20-18 in favor of the visitors. The game stayed within two possessions for the rest of the half, going into the break with Carleton leading 30-27. The Knights held St. Scholastica to only 27.8 percent shooting in the opening frame, but they committed nine turnovers that kept them from opening up a larger lead.
 
Koelling took to the air to open the second half, slamming home a pair of dunks that sparked Carleton to a 21-6 run over the opening six minutes of the half. The Knights went 9-for-10 from the field during that span.
 
Six straight points from Davion Butler chiseled off some of the Carleton advantage around the ten-minute mark. But the Knights proceeded to shut out the Saints over the next four minutes and essentially put the game to bed with a Koelling layup and 3-pointers from Drake and Engelberg.
 
Carleton shot a season-best 51.7 percent from the field. The Knights hit 8-of-22 threes (36.4 percent) and made up for only a 5-of-11 performance (45.5 percent) from the line. They dominated down low, pulling in 49 rebounds to St. Scholastica's 32 and out-scoring the Saints in the paint 44-20. This is the first time Carleton has held consecutive opponents under 60 points since a three-game run between Jan. 8 and Jan. 12, 2022.
 
St. Scholastica was held to 31.0 percent on the floor, and went 11-for-37 (29.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Butler led the hosts with a game-high 18 points and five assists. Koy Nelson with 12 points and Jayden Brown with 10 were the other double-digit scorers for the Saints.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton returns home for a meeting with Macalester College on Wednesday Dec. 10. West Gym will host a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.