Carleton jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first 2:37 of the first half. After the Knights led 8-4 with 11:54 remaining in the half, the Gusties went on a 9-0 run to garner their largest lead of the evening (13-8). In the last 8:17 of the first half, Carleton went on a 19-4 rally including 50 percent (8-for-16) shooting from the field during that span. The Knights capped their 19-4 first half rally when Kate Krueger made a rainbow three point shot from the top of the key with time expiring. Both teams combined for a total of 25 turnovers in the first half. The Knights led 27-17 at the intermission.
The Gusties surrendered a 5-0 Carleton offensive run in the first 44 seconds of the second half. After Carleton earned its largest lead of the night 36-17 with 16:44 to play in the game, Gustavus went on a 12-2 run to pull within nine (38-29) with 12:45 remaining. The Gusties were able to cut Carleton's lead to just six points (39-33) with 7:55 left in the game, but the Knights finished the remainder of the contest on a 23-16 run to win 62-49.
Gustavus shot 33.3 percent (19-for-57) from the field, a mere 13.3 percent (2-for-15) from the three point line, and 81.8 percent (9-for-12) from the free throw line. Carleton shot 45.3 percent (24-for-53) from the field, 28.6 percent (2-for-7) from three point land, and an impressive 92.3 percent (12-for-13) from the charity stripe.
Bri Monahan led the Gusties with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Kristin Kachelmyer tallied 10 points and 13 boards. Erin Boese also contributed nine points and five rebounds for the Gusties. Megan Vig led the Knights with 15 points and five rebounds, while Beth Freeman added 13 points and 10 boards and Kari Christianson tacked on 11 points and five rebounds.
The Knights are currently in first place in the MIAC, while winning their last 17 league games dating back to last season. The Knights are currently ranked #17 in the nation in the latest d3hoops.com poll. Carleton's last lost in the MIAC came on Febuary 21, 2004 against Gustavus (79-71) in St. Peter.
The Gusties will be in action on Saturday in St. Peter against Saint Mary's. Gustavus lost to the Cardinals 60-53 on January 5 in Winona. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.