ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball earned a tough, 68-63 victory in overtime over visiting Concordia College Monday evening in the Leonard Center. The win is the first at home this season for the Scots, who are now 5-17, 2-15 MIAC. The Cobbers drop to 7-14, 6-10 MIAC.

In the first half, Macalester led by as many as nine, 17-8 midway through the period. After Concordia cut the lead to 21-20 with six minutes on the clock, the Scots used a 9-2 run buoyed by five points from junior guard Nikhil Smith (Augusta, Ga./Lakeside) to lead 30-22 with just under three minutes left in the half. A 5-2 Cobber run to close out the half made the score 32-27 Scots at the break.

Concordia opened the second half with a 10-4 run to take a 37-36 edge with 16:39 remaining. The lead changed hands twice before the Cobbers took a 51-44 advantage with less than seven minutes left in the second half. Sophomore center Jackson Henningfield (Lake Mary, Fla./Lyman) responded with a layup and a three-pointer that he turned into a four-point play after drawing a foul to make the score 51-50. After Dawson Peterson hit a three for Concordia, a pair of free throws and a basket from senior forward Wyatt Ferm (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) tied the score at 54-54 in the final minute of regulation. Ferm was fouled on his made basket, but he missed the free throw and the Cobbers came up empty on the next possession, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra session, the Scots came out determined to earn the victory, scoring the first eight points of overtime to lead 62-54. Henningfield had four points, while Ferm and Smith each scored two points in the run. Macalester was able to push the lead to nine, 67-58, and Concordia was only able to come within five points by the end of overtime. The Scots shot 10-of-15 from the line and made 2-of-3 from the field in the extra session.

Ferm finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Henningfield had 17 points and 12 boards for his sixth double-double and second in a row. Smith contributed 13 points, while sophomore guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) added 10 points. As a team the Scots committed a season-low four turnovers for the game. Thomas Schyma led the Cobbers with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Macalester returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 6 with a conference game at Carleton. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. in Northfield, Minn.