ST. PETER, Minn. – Trailing 55-48 with 13:30 remaining in its MIAC Semifinal contest, the No. 4 seed Carleton College closed the game on a 27-9 run and knocked off No. 1 seed Gustavus Adolphus College by a 75-64 tally. The Knights advance to the MIAC Playoffs championship and will play at national No. 10-ranked Saint John's University on Saturday.
"An absolute gritty win by our group tonight in a terrific playoff atmosphere," said Carleton head coach Ryan Kershaw. "We're excited for the opportunity to continue to play again Saturday in what will no doubt be another challenging and enjoyable environment.
"Championship level teams have to defend well, and our defense was outstanding down the stretch. To be down seven points nearing the midpoint of the second half and to fight our way back was a true testament to the growth of the team individually and collectively over the course of the season."
Gustavus (21-5) entered the contest averaging more than 79 points per game, but for the second time in eight days, the Carleton (18-9) defense stifled the Gusties and held them more than 15 points before their season average.
This was a rematch of last year's MIAC semifinals, which saw Carleton let a lead slip away at the end of regulation before falling 124-166 in double overtime. This time around, the Knights rallied to pull off the upset on the road.
The Knights' efficiency across the board earned them the victory, shooting .472 from the field, a .409 clip (9-of-22) from beyond the arc, and .727 from the line (16-of-22). The defense did the rest of the work, holding the 10th-best shooting team in the country to just .379 from the floor and .250 from distance (7-of-28).
Six Knights collected at least nine points, with rookie Tobias Averill coming off the bench to match a career high with 16 tallies, 13 of those coming during the game-ending 27-9 surge for Carleton. Senior Spencer Goetz was close behind with 12 points on the evening, and Sam Koelling followed his spectacular quarterfinals effort with 11 points and six rebounds. First-year Tysen Hayes, earning his fourth career start, chipped in 10 points. Matt Drake and Luke Harris contributed nine points apiece.
Hayes got Carleton going early, scoring 8-of the team's first-10 points in what quickly became a 16-8 advantage for the visitors. Gustavus answered back with a 10-point burst as part of an extended 21-7 run that gave the hosts a 29-23 edge with 6:15 left in the opening stanza.
Carleton continued the first-half battle of runs, outscoring the Gusties 18-9 over the final 5:24 of the period, forcing four Gustavus miscues in the process, and headed into halftime with a 41-38 cushion. All told, the opening 20-minute frame witnessed six lead changes and four ties.
Out of the locker room, the Knights quickly extended their halftime advantage to 48-43 with 17:36 to play, before the momentum shifted in favor of the Gusties, who scored 12 unanswered to earn a 55-48 lead.
Averill picked up a loose ball and sliced through the Gustie defense for a layup as the clock ticked under 13:00. At the time, there was little to indicate that would be the play that shifted the pendulum back in Carleton's favor for good.
On the next Carleton possession, first-year Josh Engleberg drained a fadeaway jumper. He then knocked down a 3-pointer at the 10:17 mark to knot the score at 55-55. After Spencer Swanson gave the hosts back a two-point lead, Averill swished a 3-pointer and scored an old-fashioned three-point play to push Carleton ahead 61-57.
Four different players scored the next seven points for Carleton as the Knights pulled away for their third ever road postseason victory.
After Gustavus started the second half 7-of-10 from the field, the Carleton defense clamped down and the Gusties were 3-of-23 overall and 0-for-12 from beyond the arc spanning the final 13:30 of game action.
The Gusties' leading scorer from the last contest with the Knights, Brady Kienitz with 17, was a non-factor. As one of the best three-point shooters in the conference at 40 percent, Kienitz was limited to 0-of-8 from the field and 0-of-7 from deep. Adam Biewen and Spencer Swanson led the Gusties with 18 and 10, respectively. Swanson also corralled nine rebounds.