ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team's thrilling run through the MIAC Playoffs has the Scots in the championship game against top-seeded Saint John's University. Macalester and the Johnnies will meet on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 2:00 p.m. in Collegeville for the MIAC Playoff title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Click here for ticket information.

The sixth-seeded Scots upended No. 2 Augsburg in Friday's semifinal, overcoming a 13-point deficit in the second half to win, 76-74. Sophomore guard Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) scored 22 points and had five assists and two steals. First year guard Coby Gold (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) and senior guard Gabriel Ramos (Dorado, Puerto Rico/Tasis Dorado) each had 14 points, while Gold added eight rebounds and seven assists. Senior guard Lucas Leiter (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Eagan) came off the bench to score a career-high 12 points, including 10 in the second half, with fellow senior guard Eric Sathy (Cupertino, Calif./Homestead) going 3-of-4 from three-point range to finish with nine points.

The win over Augsburg followed victories over 11th-seeded St. Scholastica in the first round and No. 3 Carleton in the quarterfinals, extending the Scots' winning streak to five. After starting the MIAC schedule with seven loses in its first eight games, Macalester has won 11 of its last 14 contests to post the program's best record (15-12) since 2003-04. That team finished 18-9 and advanced to the finals of the MIAC Playoffs, the only other time besides this year that the Scots have played for the playoff championship.

Saint John's (22-4) won the MIAC regular-season crown with a 17-2 mark in conference play. The Johnnies advanced to the finals by beating Hamline on Wednesday and St. Olaf on Friday. During the regular season, Saint John's swept the Scots, winning in the Leonard Center, 85-62 on Dec. 11 before earning a 59-45 decision on Feb. 5 in Collegeville. The Johnnies and Scots have met once before in the MIAC Playoffs, with Macalester winning, 83-82 back on Feb. 19, 2002 in the old Macalester Gymnasium.

The winner of the MIAC Playoff championship game will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week.

2022 MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs - Feb. 19-26
First Round, Saturday, Feb. 19
No. 6 Macalester 79, No. 11 St. Scholastica 66
No. 7 Bethel 82, No. 10 Concordia 63
No. 8 Hamline 89, No. 9 Saint Mary's 64

Quarterfinals, Wednesday, Feb. 23
No. 1 Saint John's 74, No. 8 Hamline 53
No. 6 Macalester 70, No. 3 Carleton 56
No. 2 Augsburg 82, No. 7 Bethel 66
No. 5 St. Olaf 76, No. 4 Gustavus 73

Semifinals, Friday, Feb. 25
No. 6 Macalester 76, No. 2 Augsburg 74
No. 1 Saint John's 76, No. 5 St. Olaf 57

Championship, Saturday, Feb. 27
No. 6 Macalester at No. 1 Saint John's, 2:00 p.m.