Jeremy Sutherland added a career high 13 points to go with five rebounds and three blocked shots for the Knights (3-6), who nearly upset the sixth-ranked team in Division II. The loss was Carleton's fourth against a Division II foe this season.
Jake Phillips added 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds and Bryan Rosett was also in double figures with 12 points.
Luke Anderson, a Division II Preseason First Team All-American, notched 19 points and seven rebounds, and Paris Kyles tallied 19 points, six rebounds and four steals. Kyles had a key steal and layup with 1:32 to stake the Mavs to a five-point lead. Mitch Gosson added 14 points and six rebounds and Jake Morrow tallied 14 points and seven rebounds for the Mavericks (14-1), who made 10-of-23 from three-point range and held the Knights to 2-for-11 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Trailing 34-33 at the half, the Knights tied the score four minutes into the second half and proceeded to rattle off 12 unanswered points, as Phillips started the spree with a three which Rosett capped with an offensive rebound and layup.
The Knights still led by 12 with 11 minutes, 36 second left before the hosts heated up. Gosson tallied a three-point play, Kyles made one of two free throws and Anderson buried a three-pointer. Kyles drove and scored, and after a Rosett layup, Morrow drilled a three from the corner and Anderson's free throws one minute later tied the game at 58-58 with 7 minutes, 3 seconds left.. The Knights briefly regained the lead on a Sutherland layup with less than six minutes left, but Gosson made two free throws, Anderson made another triple as the Mavs lead moved to six with two minutes left.
Johnson countered with a three-point play on the next possession, but Kyles drove and scored. Rosett made two free throws with a little more than a minute left to pull the Knights within three. The visitors came up with a defensive stop, but Phillips missed a three-pointer with four seconds left that could have forced overtime.
The Knights shot 45 percent from the floor, but only 5-of-17 from three-point range. The Mavs held a 37-31 edge on the glass and outscored Carleton 12-4 in second-chance points, but all 12 of those points came in the first half.
The Knights return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 3, hosting league-leading University of St. Thomas at 5:45 p.m. as part of a men's/women's doubleheader. The game can be heard live on Knights Online.
Carleton vs Minnesota State 12/30/06 7 p.m. at Mankato, Minn. (Taylor Center) At Mankato, Minn. (Taylor Center) MINNESOTA STATE 72, CARLETON 69 CARLETON (3-6) Zach Johnson 8-19 7-7 23; Jeremy Sutherland 5-6 2-2 13; Jake Phillips 5-13 0-0 13; Bryan Rosett 3-4 6-6 12; Tommy Drake 3-8 1-2 8; Tucker Schieck 0-1 0-0 0; Bobby Schmitz 0-0 0-0 0; Mike Kootsikas 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-53 16-17 69. MINNESOTA STATE (14-1) Paris Kyles 7-19 4-7 19; Luke Anderson 6-16 2-2 19; Jake Morrow 5-10 0-0 14; Mitch Gosson 4-7 6-6 14; Jesse Clark 1-1 0-0 2; Kyle Swanson 1-3 0-0 2; Terrence Wynder 1-2 0-0 2; Curt Greeley 0-3 0-0 0; Atila Santos 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-62 12-15 72. Carleton...................... 33 36 - 69 Minnesota State............... 34 38 - 72 3-point goals-Carleton 5-17 (Jake Phillips 3-10; Tommy Drake 1-1; Jeremy Sutherland 1-1; Mike Kootsikas 0-1; Zach Johnson 0-4), Minnesota State 10-23 (Luke Anderson 5-11; Jake Morrow 4-6; Paris Kyles 1-4; Terrence Wynder 0-1; Curt Greeley 0-1). Fouled out--Carleton-None, Minnesota State-Atila Santos. Rebounds-Carleton 31 (Zach Johnson 6), Minnesota State 37 (Luke Anderson 7; Jake Morrow 7). Assists-Carleton 14 (Jake Phillips 7), Minnesota State 11 (Jesse Clark 5). Total fouls-Carleton 11, Minnesota State 16. A-1049 MSU concludes the nonconfernce portion of its schedule.