ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team began the MIAC schedule with a 59-44 loss to St. Olaf College Tuesday evening in the Leonard Center. The Scots are now 1-3 overall, while the Oles remain unbeaten at 3-0.

Both teams struggled to score early, as the game was tied 8-8 after eight minutes of action. St. Olaf broke through with a 12-1 run to make the score 20-9 with just under five minutes left in the half. Baskets by sophomores Nathan Davies (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) and Rob Newman (Westchester, N.Y./Rye Country Day) brought the Scots to within seven, 20-13. But St. Olaf closed out the half with a 7-2 run to take a 27-15 lead at the break.

The Oles increased their advantage to as many as 17 points early in the second half, leading 37-20 with 14:36 on the clock. Six points by junior forward Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) sparked a 12-5 run by the Scots to cut the deficit to 10, 42-32 with 9:03 to play. But a pair of free throws and two layups pushed the St. Olaf lead to 48-32 with 6:24 remaining. Sophomore guard Nikhil Smith (Augusta, Ga./Lakeside) answered with a three-pointer, but that's as close as Macalester would get, as the Oles earned the win in the MIAC opener.

The Scots held St. Olaf to 37.5 percent shooting for the game but made just 32.7 percent of their own field goal attempts. Ferm led the way with 14 points, eight rebounds, a block and a steal. Smith hit a pair of threes and finished with a career-high 10 points. First year forward Jackson Henningfield (Lake Mary, Fla./Lyman) added eight points and six rebounds. Troy Diggins Jr. tallied 13 points and eight rebounds to pace the Oles.

Macalester continues MIAC play with a home game against Concordia College on Saturday, Dec. 2. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.