Dan Forkrud tallied 12 points and nine rebounds for the Knights (7-5, 4-3 MIAC). Jake Phillips added 12 points and nailed four straight free throws in the final minute to seal the win. Brian Sharkey added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists and Tommy Drake ) also scored 11 points.
Macalester's Tom Conboy led all players with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Nate Assel added 14 points and Jesse Hollander added 11. Brendan Bosman, the team's second-leading scorer at 15.0 points and leading rebounder with 8.3 rebounds a game, had only one point and three rebounds before fouling out of the game for the Scots (3-9, 2-5 MIAC).
The Knights found themselves down 54-48 but rattled off 14 unanswered points during a six-minutes stretch late in the second half. Forkrud scored consecutive baskets inside and Phillips and Sharkey knocked down consecutive three-pointers, with a Drake triple capping the rally to push the Knights in front, 62-54, with 1 minute, 55 seconds left. The Scots hit consecutive triples around a Drake free throw, but Phillips calmly hit four straight free throws in the final minute to preserve the win.
The Knights took a 31-30 halftime lead and extended it to a 39-32 spread as Phillips drained a three to open the half, Johnson scored on an old-fashioned three-point play and Drake finished the run with a lay-up.
The Scots responded by heating up from beyond the arc, hitting 4-of-5 from deep to eventually take their largest lead of the game, 51-43, midway through the half. Senior Forkrud stepped up, delivering a three-pointer from the top of the key which ended a Carleton drought of nearly seven minutes without a field goal. The long-range shot keyed Carleton's final run, giving Carleton its fourth straight win over Macalester.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with eight ties and seven lead changes with the largest lead being a four-point advantage for the hosts. Sharkey nailed a three with under a minute left in the half, though, to stake the Knights to a 31-30 halftime lead.
Carleton is now off until Saturday, Jan. 14 when it travels to St. Olaf College for a 3 p.m. game. A Knights' victory would ensure they retain possession of the Goat Trophy. The game can be heard live on Knights Online and locally on KQCL 95.9 FM/Power 96.
Carleton vs Macalester 1/7/06 3:00 p.m. at Macalester Gymnasium - St. Paul, Minn. At Macalester Gymnasium - St. Paul, Minn. CARLETON 67, MACALESTER 60 CARLETON (7-5, 4-3 MIAC) Zach Johnson 6-11 2-4 15; Jake Phillips 3-9 4-4 12; Dan Forkrud 5-12 1-2 12; Tommy Drake 4-8 2-4 11; Brian Sharkey 3-7 2-2 11; Jay Melson 2-4 2-2 6; Tucker Schieck 0-0 0-0 0; Bobby Schmitz 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-52 13-18 67. MACALESTER (3-9, 2-5 MIAC) Tom Conboy 10-15 1-1 25; Nate Assel 6-13 0-0 14; Jesse Hollander 5-6 0-0 11; Lars Johnson 2-9 2-2 7; Trevor Jepma 0-1 2-2 2; Brendan Bosman 0-8 1-2 1; T. Robinson-Wilson 0-1 0-0 0; Andy Stein 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-56 6-7 60. Carleton...................... 31 36 - 67 Macalester.................... 30 30 - 60 3-point goals-Carleton 8-20 (Brian Sharkey 3-7; Jake Phillips 2-7; Zach Johnson 1-1; Tommy Drake 1-1; Dan Forkrud 1-3; Jay Melson 0-1), Macalester 8-21 (Tom Conboy 4-5; Nate Assel 2-7; Lars Johnson 1-5; Jesse Hollander 1-2; Brendan Bosman 0-2). Fouled out--Carleton-None, Macalester-Brendan Bosman. Rebounds-Carleton 29 (Dan Forkrud 9), Macalester 36 (Tom Conboy 13). Assists-Carleton 17 (Jake Phillips 8), Macalester 13 (Nate Assel 3; Brendan Bosman 3). Total fouls-Carleton 10, Macalester 19. A-350