NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men's basketball team did not start the new year off in the happiest of fashions as the Knights dropped a 79-70 contest to crosstown St.Olaf College. The result means that the Goat Trophy will be in play when the two rivals meet again in the regular-season finale on Feb. 21.
Sam Koelling had a game-high 21 points to lead Carleton (7-5, 3-1 MIAC), which saw 16 points from
Josh Engelberg with
Matt Drake and
Tobias Averill chipping in 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Five players finished in double figures for the Oles (7-6, 3-1 MIAC). AJ Uhl and Kobe Kirk had 18 points apiece to lead the visitors, with Uhl adding 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Rex Lamb chipped in 14 points, while Liam Madigan and Chris Willis both contributed 10 points.
After St. Olaf raced out to a 10-0 start, Carleton responded with an 18-8 run, including 10 points from Engelberg. The Knights earned their first lead of the contest at 28-27 when Averill buried a 3-pointer with 6:03 remaining in the first half.
Carleton led 33-30 following a Koelling triple with 3:15 still to play before intermission, but the Oles closed the opening period with another 10-0 run, this one earning the visitors a 40-33 lead at the break.
St. Olaf built its largest leadoff the game at 58-45 with 13:19 still to play, but the Knights answered with a 19-5 run—capped by another Koelling 3-pointer—that gave the hosts their lone lead of the second half, 64-63 with 5:40 to play. Neither team scored for nearly two minutes until the Oles' Liam Roche converted an old-fashioned three-point play, sparking St. Olaf on a game-clinching 16-6 run.
St. Olaf shot .455 overall and went 8-of-24 (33 percent) from 3-point range and 21-of-25 (84 percent) at the free-throw line. Carleton connected at a .387 clip overall, including 7-of-24 (29 percent) from beyond the arc with a 15-of-18 showing (83.3 percent) at the free throw line.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hosts Concordia College-Moorhead for a women's-men's doubleheader on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The women's game begins at 5:45 p.m. with a scheduled 7:45 p.m. tipoff for the men.
