ST. PETER, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team came up short in a MIAC game at Gustavus Adolphus, 81-75 Wednesday evening in the Lund Center. The loss drops the Scots to 4-12 overall and 1-10 in the conference, while the Gusties improve to 6-9, 3-7 MIAC.

Macalester started the game well, opening up a 16-10 lead with help from five points by junior guard Nikhil Smith (Augusta, Ga./Lakeside). After Gustavus came back to tie the game at 18-18, a three-pointer from senior guard Mike Babb (St. Louis, Mo./St. John Vianney) and baskets by first year guard Eric Sathy (Cupertino, Calif./Homestead) and sophomore center Jackson Henningfield (Lake Mary, Fla./Lyman) gave the Scots a 25-18 lead midway through the first half. But the Gusties outscored Macalester, 22-12 over the final seven minutes of the half to take a 46-40 advantage into the break. The teams combined for just six turnovers in the half while both teams shot 50.0 percent or better from the field.

In the second half, Gustavus maintained control of the game and built a 73-62 lead with 5:09 remaining in the game. The Scots refused to give in, as Sathy and sophomore guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) hit back-to-back threes to spark a 10-2 run that brought Macalester to within three, 75-72 with 1:03 left. After Gustavus made a pair of free throws, senior forward Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) converted a conventional three-point play to make the score 77-75 Gusties with 28 seconds on the clock. But Gustavus made its free throws down the stretch to hang on for an 81-75 win.

The Scots shot 47.4 percent from the field while matching their season low with eight turnovers for the game. Ferm, whose last-second shot led Macalester to a 75-74 win at Saint Mary's on Saturday, finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Sathy hit four three-pointers en route to 16 points. Henningfield contributed a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high four blocks, while Smith ended up with 13 points, four assists and two steals. Riley Sharbono led Gustavus with 19 points.

The Scots will face Augsburg University on Monday, Jan. 21 in another MIAC game, which starts at 7:00 p.m. in Minneapolis, Minn.