By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — If Monday evening's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown between the Saint Mary's University and Carleton men's basketball teams were a heavyweight fight, the tale of the tape would have the matchup a draw.
 
Both teams entered the contest 7-8 through 15 games — including 4-6 in conference play — and both entered Monday's contest on the heels of a loss to nationally ranked St. Thomas.
 
And the tale of the tape was spot on, as the two heavyweights stood in the middle of the ring exchanging haymakers for 15 rounds — and then some — before the Cardinals' Eli Cave (St. Paul, Minn.) finally delivered the knockout blow.
 
Cave drained a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining in overtime, lifting the Cardinals to a 79-77 win over the Knights at Carleton's West Gym.
 
The Cardinals scored the game's opening two points on a basket by Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) and built leads as big as eight, 37-29 late in the first half — thanks to a 14-5 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by Kevin Gleason (Minneapolis, Minn.).
 
Carleton closed the gap to three, however, netting the final five points of the first half to make it a 37-34 Saint Mary's advantage heading into the break.
 
Before the second half was even seven minutes old, however, that three-point cushion had turned into an eight-point deficit, as Carleton reeled off eight unanswered points to cap a half-opening 15-4 run to take a 49-41 lead.
 
Saint Mary's methodically chipped away at the Knight advantage, finally pulling even, 67-67 on a Cave 3-pointer with 1:14 to play. Both teams had chances to win in regulation, but both came up empty — sending the Cardinals to their first overtime game of the season.
 
Saint Mary's grabbed its first lead of the overtime — and their first lead since holding a 39-38 edge 1:54 into the second half — 74-72, on a Shawn Pickford (Minneapolis, Minn.) field goal with 2:04 to play
 
Kent Hanson drained a 3-pointer to give the Knights the lead back, 75-74, but a Cave converted a three-point play on the Cardinals' next possession to put Saint Mary's back on top, 77-75. Hanson knotted the game at 77-77 with 33 seconds on the clock — but missed the and-one free throw, and, after running the clock down to three seconds, Cave drove the lane, was fouled, and calmly tossed in both free throws to seal the win.
 
Cave finished with 27 points to lead four Cardinal players in double figures as the junior knocked down 9 of 18 field goal attempts — including a 4 of 8 showing from behind the 3-opint line — while Sawyer Rosner (Phelps, Wis.) chipped in 15 points, and Gleason and Pickford each added 11.
 
Carleton's Hanson led all scorers with 33 points, while Jeremy Beckler chipped in 22 and Isaac Tessler added 13 for the Knights.
 
The Cardinals (5-6 MIAC, 8-8 overall) — who have now equaled their win total of a year ago with nine games yet to play — return to Northfield, Minn., for a second straight game on Saturday, heading to St. Olaf's Skoglund Center for a 1 p.m. conference matchup against the Oles. The Knights (4-7 MIAC, 7-9 overall) are right back in action on Wednesday, traveling to Bethel's Robertson Center Gym in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Royals.