Northfield, Minn. – Nick Schader's put-back of his own missed shot with 29 seconds left proved to be the game winner as the University of St. Thomas held off host Carleton College, 63-61, at West Gym this afternoon.
With the victory and St. John's University's loss to Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Thomas (11-12, 9-9 MIAC) claimed its 16th MIAC Playoff berth in the last 17 seasons.
Schader's heroics overshadowed a brilliant performance by Knight sophomore Dan Forkrud (Rosemount, Minn.). The forward netted 18 points, all in the second half, as he scored 14 of Carleton's final 16 points. His fourth three-pointer of the game with 1:01 left tied the game at 61-61. UST's Neal Anderson missed from the baseline, but Schader was there for the rebound. His follow-up shot missed, but he grabbed his own miss and put it back in for a 63-61 UST lead.
Carleton had four looks at the basket in the final nine seconds. Anthony Baquero (Jr./Rosemount, Minn.) missed from the right wing and again on the follow in the lane. Tanner Schieck (Sr./Austin, Minn.) rebound put-back was no good, but St. Thomas couldn't control the rebound, giving the Knights the ball under their own basket with four seconds. Kyle Beste (Jr./St. Louis Park, Minn.) got an open look at a deep baseline jumper at the horn, but his shot was just long.
Anderson led all scorers with 19 points, canning a quartet of three-pointers. Joey Shimek added 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting and Schader added 12 points, also going 6-for-8 from the floor.
Beste and Schieck scored 12 points each for Carleton (14-9, 11-7 MIAC), with Schieck adding 10 rebounds for his 23rd career double-double.
The Tommies broke to an early 15-8 lead, getting nine consecutive points from Anderson on a pair of long-range shots and a three-point play. The Tommies led by as many as 10 before settling for a 32-27 lead at the break. Carleton rallied in the opening minutes of the second half, tying the game at 38-38. The Tommies bumped the lead back to seven at the nine-minute mark on a Ryan Hatteberg three and Schader lay-up.
The game was essentially won by St. Thomas on superior shooting, as the visitors made 54.3 percent of their shots, compared to 36.2 percent for the Knights. Carleton did a great job on the offensive glass, grabbing 18 offensive boards, but turned that into a mere 11 second-chance points. Carleton did commit only seven turnovers and had a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
Carleton returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 18, travelling to St. John's University for a 7:30 p.m. contest. The Tommies host St. Olaf College.
