Dan Forkrud added 18 points and seven boards for the Knights (4-4), who won for the fourth time in their last five games. Tommy Drake also scored in double figures, notching 11 points and snatching six rebounds.
Upper Iowa (2-10), a NCAA Division II institution which moved up from Division III two years ago after holding membership in the Iowa Conference for nearly a century, was paced by John Banks' game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. It marked the Peacocks' 10th consecutive loss.
Carleton took a 32-29 halftime lead, as the Knights shot 48 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes. The Knights extended their lead to as many as nine points before UIU pulled within three late in the game, but the visitors were able to hang on for their fourth consecutive win over Upper Iowa all-time.
Beste's point total pushed him past Howard Rosenblum '55 on the Carleton career scoring chart and into a tie with former teammate Scott Christensen '03. Beste's 1,070 points matches Christensen's career total, currently 14th in the school's scoring list.
Carleton limited the hosts to a 3-for-17 performance from behind the arc and held a sizable 15-5 advantage in free-throw points. The Knights were 15-of-26 from the line while the Peacocks went 5-for-6. Carleton held a slight 38-37 edge on the glass, although they did commit 14 turnovers to UIU's 13.
Carleton gets into the heart of its MIAC schedule, as it will face four of the five other 2004 MIAC Playoff teams in an eight-day stretch, beginning with a road tilt at Gustavus Adolphus College on Monday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Knights travel to Concordia College, Moorhead, on Wednesday, Jan. 5, and host Macalester College on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. The close the stretch by hosting University of St. Thomas on Monday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. All four games will br broadcast live on Knights Online, with the first three games also being carried by KQCL 95.9 FM.