Northfield, Minn. – Zach Johnson (Fy./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added four assists to pace four Knights in double figures as Carleton broke the school record with its 19th win of the season, beating St. Mary's, 65-46.
Tommy Drake (So./Eden Prairie, Minn.) added 14 points and five rebounds; Dan Forkrud (Sr./Rosemount, Minn.) had 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots and Jake Phillips (Jr./Brainerd, Minn.) tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Carleton (19-5, 16-3 MIAC). It marked Carleton’s 15th consecutive win, matching the 1915-16 squad for consecutive wins in a season. It was Carleton’s 16th straight conference win as well.
SMU (9-15, 7-12 MIAC) was paced by Michael Batterman's 16 points and six rebounds. Michael Rohr added 11 points, six rebounds and three steals. The loss eliminated the Cardinals from the MIAC Playoff chase and put both Hamline and Bethel into the conference tournament. Bethel will be the fifth seed after beating Hamline tonight.
The Knights can clinch a tie for their first conference title in 41 seasons by winning at Bethel on Saturday. St. Thomas, which beat Concordia tonight, clinched at least a share of the MIAC title.
The Knights forced 19 turnovers and held a 25-13 spread in points off turnovers. They held the Cardinals to 35 percent shooting, including 3-for-19 from three-point range.
Carleton started quickly, leading 26-11 on the strength of a quick 10-2 spurt, with Phillips canning two triples during the run. The Knights took a 34-21 lead at the break but watched the Cardinals score the first four of the second half, pulling within nine. Carleton quickly bumped the lead back to 15, capped by a pair of Forkrud lay-ups. Batterman personally scored six consecutive points to cut the hosts' lead to nine, but the Knights scored the next 12 points, starting with a Mike Kootsikas (Jr./Rosemount, Minn.) three and capped by a Phillips triple.
The Knights conclude their regular season by playing at Bethel University on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3:15 p.m. The game can be heard live on Knights Online and locally on Power 96/KQCL 95.9 FM.
