ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team went toe-to-toe with fifth-ranked University of St. Thomas, only to come up short, 67-61 in a MIAC game Wednesday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots fall to 3-15 overall and 1-12 in the conference, while the Tommies improve to 17-1, 12-1 MIAC.
Macalester started well, using three-pointers from senior guard
Kyle Bernhard (Sleepy Hollow, Ill./Dundee-Crown) and first year guard
Michael Gutierrez (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Prep Academy) to spark a 12-3 run for a 16-7 lead midway through the first half. St. Thomas came back in a big way with a 15-2 run of its own to lead 22-18 at the 3:27 mark. A late basket by first year forward
Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) brought the Scots to within two, 27-25 at the break. Junior center
Kareem Ismail (Pasadena, Calif./Flintridge Prep) led all players with 11 points in the half, as Macalester held the Tommies to 33.3 percent shooting.
It was a one-point game early in the second half when St. Thomas scored 12 straight points to break open a close game, 44-31 with 14 minutes to play. The Tommies pushed the lead up to 15 with 7:18 on the clock when the Scots mounted a comeback. Ferm tallied 14 points in a 19-6 Macalester run, including two threes and a driving layup with less than a minute to play that made the score 63-61 St. Thomas. After Grant Shaeffer scored to make it a four-point game, the Scots missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Jimmy Remke hit two free throws to wrap up the game for the Tommies.
Both teams shot better in the second half, with the Scots shooting 48.1 percent from the field compared to 55.6 percent for St. Thomas after halftime. The Tommies also enjoyed a 42-28 rebounding advantage.
Ferm finished with a game-high 21 points to go with 10 rebounds and two blocks, shooting 8-of-11 from the field. Gutierrez hit 4-of-8 from three-point range en route to 20 points, while Ismail had 15 points and five boards. Cortez Tillman led St. Thomas with 16 points.
Macalester plays another MIAC contest at Gustavus Adolphus on Saturday, Jan. 30. The game is set to start at 1:00 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn.
