ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team lost to St. Olaf College, 66-49 in a MIAC game Wednesday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots fall to 3-4 on the season and 0-3 in conference play, while the Oles improve to 5-1, 2-0 MIAC.

Both teams started slowly offensively, with Macalester taking a slight 9-8 edge 8:35 into the game. St. Olaf made the first move of the contest, running off 10 straight points to lead 18-9 with 7:16 left in the half. A pair of threes by senior guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) and a basket by sophomore guard Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) made it a one-point game, 18-17, before the Oles closed out the half on a 15-6 run to take a 33-23 advantage at the break.

Macalester worked hard to get back in the game in the second half. Back-to-back layups by sophomore guard Jon Kazor (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep) and first year guard Coby Gold (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) brought the Scots to within six, 44-38 with just under 14 minutes to play. Each time Macalester cut into the lead, St. Olaf responded to maintain its double-digit advantage. A three-pointer by Williams with 7:36 remaining made the score 56-47 Oles and marked the last time the lead was under 10 points. The Scots failed to score over the final 5:45 of the game, as St. Olaf pushed its lead to 17 to wrap up the win.

Macalester shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the field and committed a season-high 14 turnovers, the first time in seven games with more than nine miscues. Williams finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while Ramos tallied 13 points and made four three-pointers, all in the first half, in his first game since Nov. 9. First year guard Robert Grace IV (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to go with six points, two assists and two steals. Connor Martin had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Oles.

The Scots return to action on Saturday, Dec. 4 at Gustavus. The MIAC game starts at 3:00 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn.