WINONA, Minn. – A layup by senior center Kareem Ismail (Pasadena, Calif./Flintridge Prep) with 0.7 seconds remaining gave the Macalester College men's basketball team a 78-76 victory at Saint Mary's University Monday night at Saint Mary's Gym. The MIAC win improves the Scots to 7-12 overall, including a 3-11 mark in conference play. The Cardinals drop to 5-13, 3-11 MIAC.

Saint Mary's led 70-60 with seven minutes remaining when Macalester began its comeback. Five points from sophomore forward Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) and four points from sophomore guard Michael Gutierrez (Stillwater, Minn./St. Croix Prep Academy) sparked an 11-2 run that brought the Scots within one, 72-71 with three minutes left. The Cardinals were able to push the lead back to four, 76-72 with 1:03 on the clock following a basket by Eli Cave. After the Scots missed a three-pointer, Saint Mary's did not connect on the front end of a 1-and-1. Gutierrez capitalized with a layup to make the score 76-74 Cardinals with 31 seconds to play.

On the next possession, Macalester forced a turnover and Ismail made a layup to tie the game with nine seconds remaining. Another Saint Mary's turnover gave the Scots the ball. With time winding down, Gutierrez found Ismail rolling to the basket off the screen, and Ismail hit a running layup with 0.7 seconds on the clock. Saint Mary's was unable to inbound the ball before the five-second count, clinching Macalester's third MIAC win in its past six games.

The Scots trailed by as many as five points in the first half before closing out the period with a 16-4 run to take a 48-41 halftime lead. Gutierrez and junior guard Brett Olson (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) each drained threes in the run, with Olson scoring 11 first-half points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor. The Scots posted a field goal percentage of 60.7 percent in the half while holding the Cardinals to 44.4 percent.

Saint Mary's quickly regained the lead, getting threes from Aaron Romportl and Bradley Hill in an 8-0 run to start the second half. Macalester went cold from the field midway through the half, as the Cardinals used a 17-5 run over an eight-minute span to lead 70-60 with seven minutes left. During the comeback, the Scots made 7-of-10 from the field over the final seven minutes while limiting Saint Mary's to 2-of-6 shooting over the same span.

Ferm led Macalester with 22 points while making 3-of-7 from three-point range. Gutierrez tallied 17 points and six assists, with Ismail contributing 15 points, five boards and two blocks. Olson ended up with 13 points and five rebounds. Wylie Ferron had 24 points to pace the Cardinals.

The Scots return home to host Concordia College on Saturday, Feb. 4 in another MIAC game. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.

View the highlights of the Scots' comeback: