NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team fell to St. Olaf College, 89-71 in a MIAC game Wednesday night in the Skoglund Center. Junior forward Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) scored a game-high 20 points for the Scots, who are now 1-12 overall and 0-8 in league play. The Oles improve to 9-4, 5-3 MIAC.

Macalester scored the game's first 11 points, including threes from Ferm and first year guard Aidan Toner-Rodgers (Sebastopol, Calif./Analy), while keeping St. Olaf off the scoreboard until the 15:25 mark. The Scots held onto the lead until a 9-0 run put the Oles on top, 23-18 with 6:28 on the clock. Free throws by Ferm and junior guard Mike Babb (St. Louis, Mo./St. John Vianney) brought Macalester to within one, but St. Olaf outscored the Scots, 17-7 to close out the half and take a 40-29 lead at the break.

The Oles maintained the upper hand into the second half, building a 52-31 advantage with 15:50 remaining. The deficit did not discourage Macalester, as back-to-back three-point plays by sophomore guard Nathan Davies (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) and first year forward Jackson Henningfield (Lake Mary, Fla./Lyman) sparked a 22-5 spree that put the Scots just four points behind, 57-53 with 11:41 to play. Henningfield tallied nine points in the run.

Unfortunately for the visitors, St. Olaf answered with a 13-2 run over the next six minutes to push the lead up to 70-55. This time the Scots were unable to recover, as the Oles extended their lead to as many as 24 points in closing out the win. Macalester forced 27 turnovers but shot just 29.3 percent from the field for the game.

Ferm registered 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists in just 15 minutes of playing time before fouling out. Henningfield finished with 10 points, eight boards and two steals, while first year guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) scored a career-high 10 points. Nate Albers led St. Olaf with 15 points.

Macalester returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 13 with a conference game at Saint Mary's University. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. in Winona, Minn.