Hannah Oken-Berg added 10 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and three assists for the Knights (9-2, 4-2 MIAC), who shot 42.9 percent in the second half and held the Tommies (4-4, 3-2 MIAC) to 25.7 percent shooting.
Melissa Keiser paced UST with 15 points. The Tommies forced 22 Carleton turnovers, turned it over only nine times themselves and took 21 more shots than Carleton, but couldn't find the groove offensively, as they managed only 18 field goals. The visitors' overly aggressive defense sent the Knights to the free-throw line 26 times, as the Knights outscored UST 20-8 from the free-throw line. The Tommies were credited with a mere two assists in the game.
The start was ugly for both teams, with UST staking claim to an early 15-5 advantage 10 minutes into the contest. Carleton finally awoke, closing the half on a 21-6 spurt to lead 26-21 at the break.
It looked like the Knights would pull away right away in the second, as Connor scored the first six points of the half herself to propel the Knights to a 32-21 lead. After a UST timeout, though, the Toms responded with a run of their own, closing the gap to 32-30. The hosts had the answer, as a quick 11-0 spurt was capped by Connor's triple. The lead quickly ballooned to 19 points within a three-minute span as the Knights won their home opener after starting the season with eight consecutive road games.
The Knights had 22 turnovers to nine for the Tommies, and UST held a 16-8 spread in points off turnovers. The Knights outrebounded the Tommies by a whopping 21-rebound margin, 52-31.
University of St. Thomas vs Carleton College 01/03/07 7:45 p.m. at Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) At Northfield, Minn. (West Gym) CARLETON COLLEGE 65, UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS 47 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS (4-3, 3-1 MIAC) Melissa Keiser 5-13 2-2 15; Jessica Katch 4-13 1-2 9; Melissa Gotchnik 4-13 1-1 9; Sheena Porter-Wrzos 3-11 2-2 8; Dee Prioleau 1-8 2-2 4; Anna Swanson 1-2 0-0 2; Shannon Kane 0-1 0-0 0; Jennah Nelson 0-2 0-0 0; Andi Olson 0-1 0-0 0; Jenny Gillard 0-0 0-0 0; Shara Guidry 0-0 0-0 0; Katy Sanders 0-2 0-0 0; Megan Swanson 0-0 0-0 0; Chelsea Wirtz 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 18-70 8-9 47. CARLETON COLLEGE (6-2, 3-2 MIAC) Amber Connor 9-14 3-3 22; Hannah Oken-Berg 4-10 2-4 10; Annie Isler 1-3 6-6 8; Sarah Lincoln 2-4 4-5 8; Sarah Kunelius 2-7 0-0 6; Megan Mileusnic 2-3 1-1 5; Anna Biewen 1-5 3-4 5; Liz Baumgartner 0-0 1-3 1; Annie Eckhoff 0-3 0-0 0; Joy Esboldt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-49 20-26 65. University of St. Thomas...... 21 26 - 47 Carleton College.............. 26 39 - 65 3-point goals-University of St. Thomas 3-23 (Melissa Keiser 3-8; Jessica Katch 0-1; Melissa Gotchnik 0-4; Sheena Porter-Wrzos 0-1; Anna Swanson 0-1; Jennah Nelson 0-2; Katy Sanders 0-2; Chelsea Wirtz 0-4), Carleton College 3-8 (Sarah Kunelius 2-6; Amber Connor 1-2). Fouled out--University of St. Thomas-Dee Prioleau, Carleton College-None. Rebounds-University of St. Thomas 31 (Sheena Porter-Wrzos 6), Carleton College 52 (Sarah Lincoln 11). Assists-University of St. Thomas 2 (Anna Swanson 1; Chelsea Wirtz 1), Carleton College 11 (Hannah Oken-Berg 3; Sarah Lincoln 3). Total fouls-University of St. Thomas 22, Carleton College 12.