Annie Isler added 14 points, five rebounds and four steals for the Knights (11-2, 8-2 MIAC), who have won five consecutive games. Sarah Kunelius came off the bench to score 12 points, including nine in the first half to keep the Knights close. Kunelius and Oken-Berg had five of Carleton's seven first-half field goals as the Knights made only 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) in the first half.
Ann Baltzer paced the Scots (4-9, 2-8 MIAC) with 14 points. Danielle Johnson tallied 12 points and seven rebounds for the Scots and Trina PaStarr chipped in with 10 points and seven boards.
The pesky Scots, who earlier this season pulled what is arguable the biggest upset in MIAC women's basketball history when they beat conference preseason favorite Concordia despite the fact that the Scots disbanded their program two years ago and didn't play a conference schedule last year, led 39-37 six minutes into the second half.
The Knights, though, gradually pushed the lead from two to 12 points during a four-minute stretch midway through the second half. Lincoln tallied seven points during the key run, including a three-point play on a put-back basket. Her follow-up basket with 5 minutes, 39 seconds left in the game pushed the Knights in front by 12, 56-44, and the Knights made 10-for-12 from the free-throw line down the stretch, including 7-of-8 from Isler, to seal the win.
Both teams shot 20-for-55 (36.4 percent) from the floor, but Carleton's 46-32 rebounding advantage translated into a sizable free-throw disparity. The Knights were 27-for-35 from the line compared to Macalester's 18-of-24. Carleton also made a concerted effort to get the ball inside in the second half, outscoring the Scots 20-12 on points in the paint during the final 20 minutes.
Carleton now begins a critical stretch of games where they'll play the top three teams in the MIAC standings, beginning with fellow second-palce squad Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 7:45 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn. The game can be heard live on Knights Online around the world and locally on KQCL 95.9 FM/Power 96. The Knights follow the Gustavus contest by hosting Augsburg on Jan. 20, fourth-place Concordia-Moorhead on Monday, Jan. 22 at 7:45 p.m. and league-leading St. Benedict on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Carleton vs Macalester 1/15/07 7:45 p.m. at St. Paul, Minn. (Macalester Gymnasium) At St. Paul, Minn. (Macalester Gymnasium) CARLETON 70, MACALESTER 59 CARLETON (11-2 / 8-2 MIAC) Hannah Oken-Berg 7-15 2-2 16; Sarah Lincoln 5-7 5-8 16; Annie Isler 2-5 10-12 14; Sarah Kunelius 3-9 4-6 12; Amber Connor 2-6 4-4 8; Megan Mileusnic 1-6 2-2 4; Annie Eckhoff 0-2 0-0 0; Anna Biewen 0-5 0-1 0. Totals 20-55 27-35 70. MACALESTER (5-8 / 3-7 MIAC) Ann Baltzer 4-8 6-7 14; Danielle Johnson 4-15 3-5 12; Trina PaStarr 5-12 0-0 10; Elise Pagel 1-8 6-6 8; Callie PaStarr 3-6 0-0 6; Lara Avery 1-3 3-4 5; Annie Borton 1-1 0-2 2; Chelsea Stinson 1-2 0-0 2; Jenny Lee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-55 18-24 59. Carleton...................... 28 42 - 70 Macalester.................... 28 31 - 59 3-point goals-Carleton 3-9 (Sarah Kunelius 2-5; Sarah Lincoln 1-1; Amber Connor 0-1; Annie Isler 0-2), Macalester 1-10 (Danielle Johnson 1-7; Trina PaStarr 0-1; Elise Pagel 0-1; Callie PaStarr 0-1). Fouled out--Carleton-None, Macalester-Elise Pagel. Rebounds-Carleton 46 (Sarah Lincoln 10), Macalester 32 (Danielle Johnson 7; Trina PaStarr 7). Assists-Carleton 7 (Sarah Lincoln 5), Macalester 9 (Callie PaStarr 3). Total fouls-Carleton 21, Macalester 25. A-200