ST. PAUL, Minn. – A steal and layup by sophomore guard Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) with 3.2 seconds remaining proved to be the difference, as the Macalester College men's basketball team downed Concordia College, 67-65 in a MIAC thriller Wednesday night in the Leonard Center. The win is the fourth in a row for the Scots, who are now 8-9 overall and 5-7 in league play. The Cobbers drop to 4-9, 3-7 MIAC.

The four-game winning streak is the longest for the Scots since the 2007-08 squad won five in a row. The last time Macalester won four or more consecutive MIAC games was during the 2003-04 season, when the Scots strung eight conference victories together on their way to a 16-4 MIAC record.

With Macalester on top, 62-56 with 5:47 left to play, Concordia scored seven straight points, including five from Rowan Nelson, to take a 63-62 edge with 2:05 on the clock. Williams answered with a three-pointer, only to have Nelson tie the score at the other end with 44 seconds remaining. On their next possession, the Scots ran the clock down but didn't score, giving the Cobbers a chance to take the lead with 19 seconds to go. As time ran down, Williams stole the ball from Dylan Inninger, raced down the court and scored with just 3.2 seconds left. Concordia's long inbounds pass went out of bounds, and Macalester was able to run out the clock to clinch the win.

In the first half, the Scots broke open a close game with a 12-2 run that started with a three from Williams and ended with a three by first year guard Coby Gold (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) for a 33-21 lead. Macalester ended up taking a 36-26 advantage into halftime after making eight threes and holding the Cobbers to 33.3 percent shooting from the field in the half.

In the second half, Concordia outscored the Scots, 15-7 over the first seven minutes to make it a two-point game, 43-41. Baskets by first years Robert Grace IV (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) and Badou Ba (Dakar, Senegal/Williston Northampton) pushed the lead up to six, 47-41 with 11:37 to play. The Cobbers cut into the lead four times, only to have Macalester restore its six-point edge each time before needing Williams' heroics in the game's final seconds.

Williams finished with 23 points, including five threes, to go with six rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) registered 16 points, six boards and six assists, while Gold contributed 12 points, four assists and a team-high eight rebounds. Ba tallied eight points on 4-of-4 shooting, three rebounds and two blocks in 16 key minutes off the bench. Nelson led all scorers with 25 points.

The Scots continue MIAC play with a home game against Gustavus on Saturday, Jan. 29. Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.