NORTHFIELD, Minn. – After leading at halftime, the Carleton College men's basketball team stumbled in the second half against Saint John's University and lost 70-51.
 
Saint John's (9-7, 5-2 MIAC) exploded from deep, and made 16-of-31 threes in the game (season-best 51.6 percent). The Johnnies were better from deep than from two, shooting 46.3 percent overall and 4-for-10 at the free throw line (40.0 percent).  Carleton (9-8, 5-3 MIAC) made 40.7 percent of its attempts but connected on just 2-of-12 triples (16.7 percent) and 5-of-9 free throws (55.6 percent).
 
Carleton began on the front foot. A silky Patrick Smith fadeaway concluded a 6-0 run to open the game, and the Knights still led by five at 12:55 when Will Breall finished a finger-roll for a 13-8 edge. The Johnnies sprinted into the lead soon after, using a 12-2 burst to take a 17-13 advantage at the 10:20 mark.
 
Carleton got back into the lead when Josh Engelberg scored five points on consecutive possessions to put the Knights up 22-19, and the maize and blue entered halftime up 29-27 after Sam Koelling laid one in in the dying seconds of the frame.
 
Koelling scored in the paint again to open the second half, but the Johnnies erupted for a 21-0 run that spanned five minutes to lead 48-31 with 14 minutes remaining. Liam Farniok hit a quartet of 3-pointers during the sprint. Carleton could not get back into the contest, as the stifling Johnnie defense held Carleton to just nine field goals in the second stanza.
 
Koelling did a bit of everything, even in the loss, leading the Knights in points (10), rebounds (nine), assists (four), and steals (two) in addition to a blocked shot.
 
Rookie Peyton Podany led Saint John's with 17 points, making 5-of-8 triples and doling out three assists. Farniok scored 15 on 5-of-9 from deep, collecting four assists.
 
Up Next for the Knights
After a week off, Carleton returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 24. The Knights will welcome the College of St. Scholastica to West Gym for a clash that tips off at 3:00 p.m.