ST. PAUL, Minn. – Saint John's shot 68.4 percent from three-point range to defeat the Macalester College men's basketball team, 85-62 Saturday afternoon in the Leonard Center. The Scots end 2021 with a record of 4-6 overall and 1-5 in the conference, while the Johnnies (8-2) remain unbeaten in the MIAC at 5-0.

Macalester kept pace with Saint John's early, pulling to within two, 26-24 following a three-pointer by senior guard Eric Sathy (Cupertino, Calif./Homestead) at the 10-minute mark of the first half. The Johnnies responded with 11 straight points to take a 37-24 advantage with 4:24 on the clock. Senior guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) ended the string with a three, and a three-pointer by sophomore guard Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) brought Macalester to within eight, 40-32. But Saint John's finished strong, closing out the half on a 9-3 run to take a 49-35 lead into the break. The Johnnies made all nine of their three-point shots in the game's first 20 minutes, including four by Kooper Vaughn. Ramos matched Vaughn with four threes en route to 18 first-half points.

A pair of baskets from Williams early in the first half cut the deficit to 12, 51-39. Although Saint John's missed their first attempt from three-point range, Vaughn hit two threes in a row to spark a 10-4 run that pushed the lead to 61-43 with 13:23 remaining. The Scots came within 15 points once, but the Johnnies remained in control, leading by 20 or more points for the final eight minutes of the game. Saint John's ended up making 13-of-19 from beyond the arc and 60.0 percent overall from the floor. Macalester was 9-of-22 from deep and made 44.0 percent from the field for the game.

Ramos matched his career high with 23 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range. He also had five rebounds and three assists. Williams registered 13 points, three boards, three assists and three steals, while Sathy scored eight points. Vaughn had 20 points to lead Saint John's.

Macalester returns to action after winter break on Jan. 5 at Carleton.