Box Score Senior guard Eric Houska poured in 21 points and dished out eight assists, but his performance was not enough to get Colorado College a victory on Wednesday night.

Senior forward Kevin Grow scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to power Carleton College to a 76-65 win in the first game of the 2017 Rocky Mountain Thanksgiving Classic at Reid Arena.

Matt Stritzel came off the bench to score a team-leading 19 points for the Knights. The freshman guard connected on five of 12 shots from behind the arc and four of six free throws in his collegiate debut.

Senior guard Ryan Young and sophomore forward CooXooEii Black finished with 13 points apiece for the Tigers, who slipped to 2-1.

Young also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

Senior forward John Hatch produced 10 points, five points and three blocked shots for CC.

Colorado College was within three points after Hatch sank one of two free throws with 1:03 remaining in the first half, but Carleton seized the momentum by hitting a pair of three-pointers during the final minute to build a 32-23 lead after 20 minutes.

The Knights led 45-29 after Grow scored a little less than six minutes into the second half and the Tigers could get no closer than nine points when Houska hit a fade-away jumper with 41 seconds to go.

Carleton had shot a fraction under 62 percent from the floor during the second half to keep their double-digit lead intact.

The Knights also had a 41-26 advantage on the glass and outscored the Tigers 28-18 in the paint.

The tournament continues with a pair of games on Friday. Millikin University plays Sarah Lawrence College at 11 a.m., followed by Carleton and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville at 1 p.m.

Colorado College returns to action on Saturday when plays host to Sarah Lawrence at 1 p.m.