Northfield, Minn. – Megan Vig (Sr./Northfield, Minn.) scored 15 points, 13 in the first half, as Carleton College used an 18-0 run late in the first half to race past St. Mary’s University, 68-40.
The Knights (15-9, 13-6 MIAC) shot 50 percent in the first half, broke from a slim 20-19 margin to lead at the half, 38-21.
Annie Isler (So./Minneapolis/Hopkins) added 12 points and four assists as Carleton won for the ninth time in its last 11 games.
SMU (10-14, 6-13 MIAC), which was eliminated from the MIAC Playoff chase with the loss, was led by Ashley Luehmann’s eight points and four rebounds. The Cardinals shot only 26 percent for the game and turned the ball over 22 times, leading to 22 Carleton points.
The game was close for the first 14 minutes as SMU made four of their five 3-pointers in the game’s first nine minutes. Calla Swenson’s triple gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at four with 10 minutes left in the first half. The visitors would go more than 10 minutes without a field goal, scoring only one point over that stretch before Alissa Bantarri’s jumper before the half-time horn.
Carleton stretched the lead to as many as 38 points in cruising past the Cardinals for the 10th straight time overall and ninth straight at West Gym.
Vig added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals and Sarah Kunelius (Fy./Eagan, Minn.) came off the bench for eight points and five rebounds. Anna Biewen (Fy./Edina, Minn.) added nine points for Carleton, which owned a 44-34 rebounding edge and had but 15 turnovers, only four in the first half.
