Northfield, Minn. – Tommy Drake (Fy./Eden Prairie, Minn.) scored 19 points, eight in the final five minutes, and had a key steal and two free throws in the final 30 seconds as third-seeded Carleton College edged sixth-seeded Macalester College, 81-77, in MIAC Playoff quarterfinal action.
Kyle Beste (Sr./St. Louis Park, Minn.) also scored 19 points and Dan Forkrud (Jr./Rosemount, Minn.) tallied his third straight double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds for Carleton (17-9), which advances to the semifinals to face second seed St. Thomas on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in St. Paul.
The Scots (11-15) were paced by Brad Liddell’s 21 points and six rebounds while Tom Conboy and Erik Jackson added 16 points each.
The Knights led 38-35 at the break but the Scots used a 17-4 spurt, capped by three-pointers from Will Moeller and Brendan Bosman, to notch their largest lead of the game at 63-56. Carleton answered right back, using a 9-2 spurt, setting up a frenetic final four minutes.
Carleton built a four-point lead as Drake scored on an 18-foot jumper from the corner and two free throws and Forkrud made 3-of-4 from the line over two trips. Liddell and McFarland added two free throws each, but Drake answered with a mid-post jumper with 1:40 left, pushing the Knights to a 75-73 lead.
Conboy was fouled with 1:25 left and calmly sank both. Beste missed on the other end but Drake tracked down the offensive rebound. Carleton worked the ball around and Jackson was whistled for his fifth personal foul and then picked up a technical foul. Anthony Baquero (Sr./Rosemount, Minn.) split on the technical foul shots, Phillips drained both foul shots and Carleton led 78-75.
The teams traded two free throws each on their next possessions before Drake switched out on a screen, sliding down to the block to come up with the steal with 18 seconds left. Baquero made one of two free throws as Carleton advanced to the MIAC Playoff semifinals for the ninth time but for the first time since 1999. It marked Carleton's first post-season win since Feb. 27, 1997, a 70-67 win over St. Thomas in West Gym.
"I thought we were better organized offensively," Carleton Coach Guy Kalland said. "We really think Drake is a nice player and we thought we could go to him in some key situations even though he’s a freshman and he really responded."
The final 40 seconds was marred by a fight in the stands, as a Scot fan, taunting the Carleton crowd, was eventually ejected at about the same time Jackson picked up his technical foul.
"We’ve been waiting for this since I was a freshman," Beste said afterwards of the post-season victory. "We really learned how to win those close games. In the past we’ve struggled with close games, but now we’re just finding ways to win. Everyone’s important on this team and I think that’s the way we focus on our team. It’s not about one player, it’s about everybody contributing."
"The last three years have been tough so it was great to get over the hump and win one," Baquero added. "We knew it was going to be tough but we’ve been through our share of close games all year long and we’ve been saying those close games will help us for the end of the season. It couldn’t have helped us more than playing 10 close games this year to make the plays at the end."
The Knights shot 45 percent from the floor and used a 24-15 advantage from the free-throw line, as the Scots shot a torrid 51 percent and outrebounded the Knights, 37-28. Macalester turned the ball over 20 times, allowing the Knights to hold a 26-10 edge in points off turnovers.
The Knights now turn their attention to St. Thomas, which split with the Knights this season. Carleton lost on its home floor, 67-66, on Jan. 10 when Sean Sweeney banked home a three-pointer with five seconds left. Carleton, however, won at St. Thomas 12 days later, 87-77, in overtime. Beste scored 22 points as the Knights made 10-of-12 free throws in the overtime, handing the Tommies their first MIAC loss of the season. UST went 6-4 in the MIAC's second half compared to Carleton's 8-2 mark.
"It’s going to be just as tough as Macalester, if not tougher," Beste said of Thursday's showdown. "Every team in the MIAC battled tough, but the playoffs are a different story. We just have to go in with our energy high and hopefully win it."
"We have an awful lot of respect for them," Kalland said of St. Thomas. "But what team couldn’t be excited about a chance to get into to the national tournament? With all due respect to St. Thomas and Gustavus, I don’t think there is the gap between to the top two and the next four this year like there maybe has been in past years."
Tickets for the game are $7 for adults and $3 for students. The game can be heard live on KQCL 95.9 FM/Power 96 and worldwide on Knights Online.
