NORTHFIELD, Minn.  – The Luther College women's basketball team may want to consider buying property in Minnesota. The Norse eked out a 57-55 win over Carleton College Saturday evening, improving to 2-0 overall after defeating Northwestern-St. Paul in their season opener Tuesday night. Jordan Rubie (Winona, Minn. / Cotter) led Luther in scoring with 19 points, while Kaley Jones (Avoca, Iowa / AHSTW) recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game. 

KNIGHT MOVES
It was a closely contested game between the Norse and Knights from the get go, though it was Luther that held a 27-24 halftime lead. The Norse had to mount a comeback in the second quarter, however, as it was Carleton that nabbed the 19-14 lead in the first 10 minutes of play. It wasn't necessarily an easy task, though, as the Knights defense allowed just four Luther points in the early stages of the second quarter, all on free throws. It was those points from the charity stripe that helped the Norse mount their comeback. Jones and Rubie whittled the Carleton lead to 22-18 before back-to-back baskets by Kate Hosking (Slinger, Wis. / Slinger) and Megan Miller (Urbandale, Iowa / Des Moines Christian) knotted things at 22 all. Luther then regained control of the game on, what else, free throws, as Emilee Burcham-Scofield drained one in the closing seconds of the first half to secure the 27-24 halftime lead for the Norse. 

The back-and-forth play resumed in the third quarter, though Luther maintained its lead over Carleton. The Norse led by as many as seven points in the third, jumping to a 40-33 lead on free throws by Chelin Isaacson (Superior, Colo. / Monarch). The Knights, though, simply would not go away, as they went on a 7-0 scoring run to tie the game at 40-40. The Norse managed to regain a 42-40 advantage in the closing seconds, but the tone was set for the fourth quarter. Perhaps the most exciting 10 minutes of the game included four lead changes, though neither team led by more than four points. 

After Carleton forced the initial lead change in the opening minutes, Luther used back-to-back baskets from Lizzie Kauls (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) to gain a 50-48 advantage. From that point on, the two teams would score a combined 14 teams, nearly matching each other shot for shot. Thanks to Kauls' layup, though, the Norse were able to come out on top, as a missed Carleton three in the closing seconds secured the 57-55 win for Luther. 

TOP NORSE

• Jordan Rubie (Winona, Minn. / Cotter) led the Norse scoring efforts, scoring 19 points on 5-11 shooting, including a 4-8 mark from three-point range. Rubie also added seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals to her stat line. 
• Kailey Jones (Arvada, Iowa / AHSTW) recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game, closing with 10 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds. Lizzie Kauls also scored in double-digits, closing the game with 10 points and six rebounds. 

UP NEXT
Luther will make its Regents Center debut on Tuesday, as the Norse host UW-Platteville at 7:00 p.m. CT in Decorah, Iowa.