MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Sophomore center
Jackson Henningfield (Lake Mary, Fla./Lyman) tallied a career-high 32 points, as the Macalester College men's basketball team opened the 2018-19 season with a 72-64 victory at North Central University Thursday night. The win is the first for new head coach
Abe Woldeslassie.
The Scots built a 26-13 lead over the first 13 minutes of the game, with Henningfield scoring 16 of his 19 first-half points during the run. The two teams exchanged three-pointers down the stretch, with senior forward
Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) and junior guard
Nikhil Smith (Augusta, Ga./Lakeside) hitting threes for Macalester, and Lucas Ellerbusch and Jared High scoring from deep for the Rams. The Scots shot 48.1 percent from the field in the first half to take a 35-25 lead into halftime.
Macalester opened the second half with an 11-2 run, sparked by four points from Smith and three-pointers from Henningfield and first year guard
Eric Sathy (Cupertino, Calif./Homestead) to build a commanding 46-27 advantage. North Central came within 11 points at the 12-minute mark, only to have the Scots push the lead back to 17 following Henningfield's fourth trey of the game that made the score 61-44 with 7:39 remaining. The Rams closed the game with an 11-3 run but never came within less than 10 points until the game's final basket.
Henningfield was 13-of-20 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, to finish with 32 points and 10 rebounds. Ferm added 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Sathy had eight points in his collegiate debut. Smith contributed seven points and three steals. Micah Filer led North Central with 19 points.
Woldeslassie, a 2008 Macalester graduate, earns his first victory as a college head coach after serving as an assistant for the past eight years at the Division I and Division III levels. During his time as a Scot, he was a two-time All-MIAC selection.
Macalester returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 15 with a non-conference game against Crown College in the Scots' home opener. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.
