ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – First year players Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) and Michael Gutierrez (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Prep Academy) combined to score 66 points and make 15 threes as the Macalester College men's basketball team lost a MIAC contest to Bethel University, 107-95 Saturday afternoon at the Robertson Center. The Scots drop to 3-7 overall and 1-4 in league play, while the Royals improve to 8-1, 3-1 MIAC.

Bethel gained the upper hand late in the first half with 12 straight points to build a 41-25 lead with less than five minutes left in the period. Eight points from Ferm and five points by Gutierrez helped the Scots close the gap to 11, 49-38 by halftime. Both teams shot well in the first half, with Macalester hitting 52.0 percent from the field compared to 58.8 percent for the Royals.

In the second half, Bethel pushed its lead to as many as 17 points and held an 87-71 advantage with 8:22 remaining before the Scots mounted a comeback. Two three-pointers by Ferm and four points from Gutierrez sparked a 10-0 Macalester run that made the score 87-81 Bethel with six minutes to play. The lead was still six points a minute later when the Royals used a 9-2 run, capped by Jared Nelson's fifth three-pointer of the game, to lead 100-87 with 3:33 on the clock.

But Macalester and its two first year standouts did not give up, with Gutierrez hitting a three and two free throws and Ferm draining his ninth three to bring the Scots back to within six, 101-95 with two minutes left. The comeback ended there, however, as the Royals made 6-of-8 from the free throw line and Macalester failed to score in its final four possessions.

Ferm finished the game with a career-high 34 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field, including 9-of-12 from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds and three steals. Gutierrez also tallied a career best with 32 points, making six of his 12 three-point attempts and all eight of his free throws. Junior center Kareem Ismail (Pasadena, Calif./Flintridge Prep) added 12 points, while senior guard Kyle Bernhard (Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Dundee-Crown) had five assists.
 
As a team the Scots were 18-of-31 from three-point range (.581) but struggled defensively, with Bethel shooting 80.0 percent from the field after halftime. Kyle von Schmidt-Pauli led Bethel with 22 points.

Macalester hosts Saint John's on Wednesday, Jan. 6 in another MIAC game. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.