MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team earned a big MIAC victory on the road, defeating Concordia College, 70-65 Monday night at Memorial Auditorium. The Scots are now 5-9 overall and 1-8 in the conference, while the Cobbers drop to 7-7, 4-5 MIAC.

Macalester opened the game with a 16-7 run, with sophomore forward Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) hitting two three-pointers en route to 10 points. Later in the half, a three from senior guard Dylan Kilgour (La Crescenta, Calif./Crescenta Valley) at the 4:46 mark gave the Scots a 29-22 advantage. Concordia closed out the half with a 10-4 run to make the score 33-32 Macalester at the halftime break. Ferm and senior center Kareem Ismail (Pasadena, Calif./Flintridge Prep) each had 10 points in the half to lead all players.

The Scots maintained the lead for most of the second half, leading by as many as six, 44-38 following a basket by sophomore guard Michael Gutierrez (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Prep Academy) with 14 minutes remaining. After a three by junior guard Gunnar Goeden (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) put Macalester up 49-44, the Cobbers tallied the next eight points to take their first lead of the game, 52-49 with 8:33 to play.

Sophomore guard Carl Salvino (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt) responded for the Scots with back-to-back three-pointers to give the Scots a 55-52 edge. But Concordia scored five straight points, including a three from Austin Nelson, to regain the lead, 59-57 with 3:44 left.

With the Cobbers still leading by two, 61-59 with two minutes remaining, Ismail was fouled and made the first free throw. The second was off the mark, but Salvino grabbed the offensive board, leading to a three-pointer drained by Ferm to give Macalester a 63-61 advantage with 1:35 on the clock. Gutierrez followed a missed Concordia three with a three-pointer of his own for a 66-61 lead. The Scots' defense tightened up down the stretch, limiting the Cobbers to a free throw and a late three-pointer to close out the win and end an eight-game losing streak.

Macalester held Concordia to 37.9 percent shooting for the game while making 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from three-point range. Ismail led the Scots with 17 points and eight rebounds, shooting 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Gutierrez, who tallied a career-best 40 points in a loss to Hamline on Saturday, scored 16 points to go with five rebounds and three assists. In his second game back from injury, Ferm finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Salvino had an impact on the game with nine points, four rebounds and three steals while making 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Nelson paced the Cobbers with 17 points.

Macalester hosts Augsburg in another MIAC battle on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.