ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team fell to St. Olaf, 75-60 in a MIAC game Saturday afternoon in the Leonard Center. The loss leaves the Scots with a 5-10 record overall and a 2-8 mark in the conference, while the Oles improve to 7-8, 4-6 MIAC.
After spotting St. Olaf a 12-7 lead early in the first half, Macalester went on a 19-7 spree to take a 26-19 advantage with 6:12 left in the half. Senior guard
Nikhil Smith (Augusta, Ga./Lakeside) hit a pair of threes in the run, while senior guards
Mike Babb (St. Louis, Mo./St. John Vianney) and
Nathan Davies (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) also made three-pointers. The Oles were able to cut the deficit to two, 30-28 before a basket by junior forward
Jackson Henningfield (Lake Mary, Fla./Lyman), followed by a three-pointer from junior guard
Tyler McFarland (Denver, Colo./New Hampton School) as time ran out, gave the Scots a 35-28 halftime lead. Macalester shot 63.6 percent from the field in the first half, including 6-of-10 from three-point range.
St. Olaf opened the second half with seven straight points to tie the score at 35-35. The lead would change hands four times over the next three minutes, with the Oles eventually taking a 42-41 edge with 14:14 to play. From that point, St. Olaf went on a 16-3 run that included a pair of threes from Dominic Bledsoe to take a 58-44 lead with just under nine minutes remaining. The lead grew to as many as 18 points, as the Scots never came closer than 12 points the rest of the way. The Oles made seven three-pointers in the second half and scored 26 points off of 21 Macalester turnovers for the game.
McFarland ended up with a team-best 15 points to go with four rebounds and two assists. Junior guard
Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) contributed 13 points, five boards and three assists, while Henningfield grabbed nine rebounds to go with 12 points and two assists. Bledsoe led all players with 24 points and four steals.
The Scots continue MIAC play with a home game against No. 9 St. Thomas on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.
