ST. PAUL, Minn. – First year guard
Michael Gutierrez (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Prep Academy) scored 31 points as the Macalester men's basketball team defeated Martin Luther College, 87-78 in the first home game of the season Tuesday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots improve to 1-2 on the year, while the Knights drop to 0-2.
Macalester used a 12-0 run midway through the first half to take a 26-12 advantage with seven minutes left in the period. The lead grew to as many as 20 before the Scots ended the half with a 42-24 edge. Gutierrez tallied 14 points and four assists, while senior guard
Kyle Bernhard (Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Dundee-Crown) scored 10 points.
The Scots maintained control in the second half, leading by as many as 19 before the Knights made a push to get back in the game. A three-pointer by T.J. Babinec capped a 21-10 MLC run that made the score 61-53 Macalester with 9:54 to play. Bernhard answered with a pair of threes to help the Scots push the lead back up to 12 with three minutes left. The Knights were able to get as close as five points in the final minute of the game, but Macalester hit its free throws to close out the win.
The Scots shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the second half and 46.7 percent for the game compared to 38.8 percent for Martin Luther. Gutierrez was 13-of-15 from the free throw line and 8-of-11 from the field en route to a career-best 31 points. He also delivered six assists, two steals and a block. Bernhard was 4-of-6 from three-point range and finished with 20 points. Senior guard
Jordan Black-Matthews (Dallas, Tex./Covenant Christian) and junior center
Kareem Ismail (Pasadena, Calif./Flintridge Prep) each had 10 points, with Ismail grabbing seven rebounds. Senior forward
Griffin Glatt (Summitt, N.J./Newark Academy) tallied a team-high nine boards.
The Knights were led by Todd Brassow with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Babinec finished with 19 points.
Macalester returns to action on Friday, Nov. 20 with a home game against Crown College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.
