NOTHFIELD, Minn. – Scoriong 23 and 10 points, respectively, seniors Luke Harris and Spencer Goetz guided the Carleton College men's basketball team to a 79-66 triumph over Saint Mary's University. The victory coupled with results elsewhere across the conference clinched a fourth consecutive berth in the MIAC Playoffs for the Knights (15-8, 8-6 MIAC).
 
"It's hard to quantify the impact that Luke and Spencer have had on our program during the past four seasons," said Carleton head coach Ryan Kershaw. "The wins, the conference championship banners, NCAA tournament appearance, and countless individual accolades speak for themselves as to the impact they have had on the basketball court. More importantly, their combined competitive mindset, team-first attitude, and natural leadership abilities have provided a foundation for our program in the years to come."
 
The seniors led the way early, scoring 11 of the Knights' first 13 points on the way to constructing an early 17-12 lead with 12:56 to play in the first half.
 
Saint Mary's (6-18, 2-12 MIAC) rattled off seven straight points to earn a 19-17 lead, but the Knights responded with a 20-2 run spanning 9:11 of action to gain a 37-21 advantage over the visitors. During the run, the Knights' defense forced the Cardinals to shoot 1-of-14 from the field. Despite a 7-1 close to the half by the visitors, Carleton held a 10-point cushion headed into the locker room for break at 38-28.
 
The Knights opened the second half with a 15-2 run, and it was smooth sailing from there as the Knights led by as many as 25 points and secured a fifth straight victory over Saint Mary's.
 
With his team-leading 23 points, Harris becomes the fourth player in Knights' history to eclipse the 1,700-point mark. He added four rebounds, a game-high four assists, and two steals. Goetz accounted for three boards, two assists, and two steals.
 
Next to the two seniors, the Knights received double-digit scoring efforts from Sam Koelling with 15 and Josh Engelberg with 12. Koelling also snagged eight boards (four offensive) and swatted two shots. As a team, the Knights went 34-of-69 (49.3 percent) from the field and 7-of-25 (28 percent) from deep.
 
The visiting Cardinals were led Breyton Buysman's 24-point, nine-rebound effort, followed by Sawyer Markham and Jabari Sawyer with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Saint Mary's shot a combined 27-of-59 (45.8 percent) from the field and 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from distance.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton plays its final home game of the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 19 against Gustavus Adolphus College (RV). Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. as the second half of a women's-men's doubleheader.