Moorhead, Minn. – Zach Johnson (So./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) scored 24 points and Jay Melson (So./Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) tallied a career-high 14 points, canning four three-pointers and three straight during a key first-half run as Carleton College beat host Concordia College, Moorhead, 69-52.
Melson started the key 14-4 run by nailing three consecutive triples to put the Knights (2-5, 2-2 MIAC) ahead for good. Johnson capped the run with a three-pointer of his own and another basket as Carleton’s lead grew to 19-8 midway through the first half. The Knights eventually led, 33-25, at the break.
Concordia (0-7, 0-3 MIAC) pulled within five in the second half’s early moments, but the Knights responded with a quick 9-2 spurt, capped by a Jake Phillips (Sr./Brainerd, Minn.) three-point play. The Knights’ lead grew to as many as 22 points late as they held the Cobbers to a mere two field goals and seven points from the 13-minute mark to the final minute of the game.
Luke Linz and Erik Johnson led Concordia with 14 points each, as the winless Cobbers suffered their worst loss of the season as their previous six losses were all by seven points or less.
The Cobbers shot a solid 47.9 percent (23-for-48) from the floor but were undone by 22 turnovers. The Knights, who had but five turnovers, held a whopping 32-9 spread on points off turnovers. The Knights canned 10 three-pointers and held Concordia to a season opponent low two conversions from beyond the arc. The Knights were 26-for-63 (41.3 percent) from the field and 10-for-27 (37.0 percent) from three-point range.
The Knights, who are now done with MIAC play until Jan. 3, return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 13, hosting UW-La Crosse in a key regional contest. Tip time is 7:30 p.m. at West Gym, and the game can be heard worldwide on Knights Online.
