<rleton Men’s Basketball Team dropped its eight consecutive game this past Wednesday, losing to Gustavus Adolphus by a final tally of 54-40.
Scott Theisen ’13 put up his second career double-double, scoring 14 points and adding 12 rebounds, and Caleb Rosenow ’12 also contributed 14 points and ten rebounds, but their strong efforts were not enough for the Knights, who continue to search for answers in MIAC play. Their record in conference has now dropped to 3-9 as part of a 6-11 mark overall.
In addition to strong offensive performances by Rosenow and Theisen, Carleton also received a strong defensive effort from Shane McSparron ’15, who drew the tough task of marking the Gusties’ offensive dynamo, Seth Anderson. Marked most of the night by McSparron, Anderson managed only 13 points despite averaging 25.5 points per game on the season.
However, Gustavus, which now sits in third place in the MIAC with a 9-3 conference record, found enough offensive outside of their star and played lockdown defense. This combination allowed them to hold a comfortable lead for most of the game.
The first half opened up with three straight points for the Knights, but that lead, which was the only one for Carleton all game, was soon erased. An 8-0 Gustavus run made it 11-3 in favor of the visitors, until Theisen hit a big-time three pointer to stop the bleeding with 14:05 left in the first half.
Unfortunately, Gustavus soon took back control. Another 8-0 run, this time sparked by a couple of Carleton turnovers, pushed the Gustavus lead out to 21-8 with 9:33 remaining in the half.
However, despite their early struggles, the Knights did not let Gustavus run away with the game in the first half. This time it was Carleton’s turn to make a run. Sparked by Theisen and Tom Sawatzke ’13, who added ten points for the Knights, Carleton made a 7-0 run to pull itself within six points at 21-15.
Gustavus managed to widen their lead back to 30-18 with 3:32 left, but Carleton, despite shooting a paltry 30.4% in the first twenty, kept on fighting. The Knights managed to find themselves within range as the half came to a close, thanks in large part to a nice stretch by Sawatzke in the half’s final minute.
Four straight baskets by Sawatzke cut into the lead and Gustavus found itself leading by only eight points by a mark of 32-24 heading into the locker room.
Although Carleton seemed to have momentum going into the second half, a comeback was not to be. Carleton never really threatened the Gusties over the course of the final twenty, thanks in large part to strong Gustavus defense and nine second-half Carleton turnovers.
After both teams more or less traded buckets for the first ten minutes of the half, the Gusties broke away on a decisive 16-5 run. Already ahead by ten points at the beginning of the spurt, Gustavus held a commanding 54-36 lead when the flurry ended with 2:53 to play in the game.
During the extended Gustavus run, Carleton hurt themselves with turnovers, struggling to get the offense going. And when the Knights did manage to get a shot up, Gustavus’ strong defense held them to only two of ten shooting during the pivotal stretch.
Although Carleton did cut into the Gustavus lead over the final few minutes, the damage was already done. Gusties walked out of West Gym with a dominating 54-40 victory, and the Knights continue to look for answers during this difficult losing streak.
The Knight’s will look to get back in the win column in their next matchup, this Saturday, on the road at Saint John’s University. The game will be played at 3:00 p.m.