ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Macalester led through most of the game's first 16 minutes but a 9-3 run by Bethel in the final four minutes of the opening half spurred the Royals to a 76-55 win over the Scots.

The hosts shot 52.2 percent from the field in the first half and led by as many as seven points before Bethel was able to mount a comeback.

Kareem Ismail opened the second half by converting a three-point play to cut the Royals' lead to 33-31 but it was as close as Macalester would get the rest of the way as a 19-6 run gave Bethel its largest lead of the game, at 52-37, with 12:56 to play. A 65.4 percent shooting performance from the floor, compared to 44.0 percent by the Scots, proved to be the biggest difference in the second half.

Ismail was dominant on the inside in the second half as he converted six of eight field goal tries, scoring 14 points while adding five rebounds and a blocked shot, but he accounted for more than half of the team's 27 points in the final 20 minutes.

For the game, Ismail finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, both of which were game highs.

Next up for the Scots is another Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference home game, Saturday as they take on St. Mary's in a 1 p.m. game at the Leonard Center.