WINONA, Minn. – For the third straight game, the Macalester College men's basketball team erased a second-half deficit to win, as the Scots came back to beat Saint Mary's on the road, 76-72 Saturday afternoon at the Saint' Mary's Fieldhouse. The victory is the third in a row for the Scots, who are now 7-9 overall and 4-7 in the conference. The Cardinals drop to 5-10, 3-8 MIAC.

Macalester trailed for most of the first half until a three-pointer by senior guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) and a basket by senior center Shane Anderson (Fargo, N.D./Davies) gave the Scots a 21-20 edge with 6:45 on the clock. After Ramos answered a Saint Mary's three-pointer with a conventional three-point play, the Cardinals outscored Macalester 10-2 over the final three minutes of the half to take a 33-26 advantage at the break. The Scots shot just 34.6 percent from the field in the game's first 20 minutes.

Momentum stayed with the hosts early in the second half, as Caden Freetly drained a pair of threes to put Saint Mary's ahead, 39-26 with 18 minutes remaining. Macalester, coming off comeback victories over Bethel and St. Olaf in the past week, remained unfazed by the setback. After a timeout, the Scots reeled off a 15-2 run, buoyed by five points apiece from sophomore guards Tom Andreae (Newton, Mass./Newton North) and Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) and capped off with a three from Ramos, to tie the score at 41-41 with 14:39 to play.

Two more threes by Ramos, a triple from Williams and a pair of baskets from first year guard Coby Gold (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) gave Macalester a 54-48 lead midway through the second half. The Cardinals battled back to regain the upper hand, 59-58 at the 4:42 mark. The lead would change hands four times over the next three minutes, with Saint Mary's holding a 65-64 edge with 1:17 left in the game. On the Scots' next possession, Ramos hit his sixth three-pointer of the game to put Macalester ahead, 67-65 with a minute to play. The Scots recorded two defensive stops and made 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the game's final minute, including six freebies by senior guard Eric Sathy (Cupertino, Calif./Homestead), as Macalester evened the season series with the Cardinals.

The Scots heated up in the second half, shooting 55.6 percent from the field, including 54.6 percent from beyond the arc. Ramos was 7-of-12 from three-point range and 10-of-19 overall from the field to finish with a career-high 28 points. He also had six rebounds and two steals. Williams registered 15 points and four steals, while Gold contributed 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Freetly paced Saint Mary's with 23 points.

Macalester returns home to host Concordia on Wednesday, Jan. 26. The MIAC game starts at 7:15 p.m. in the Leonard Center.