MORRIS, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team trailed big in the first half before coming back to beat the University of Minnesota Morris, 61-59 in a non-conference game Monday night at James Gremmels Court. The Scots are now 13-6 on the season, while the Cougars of the UMAC fall to 10-8.

Macalester led 14-13 with 15:21 left in the first half when Morris scored 15 straight points to spark an 18-3 run and take a commanding 31-17 lead with 7:45 on the clock. At that point the Scots came alive offensively, using a 19-2 run of their own to regain the upper hand, 36-33 with 2:15 left in the half. Junior guard Caleb Williams (Wild Rose, Wis./Wild Rose) scored seven points and first year guard Eric Wentz (Minot, N.D./Minot) had six points in the run. After the Cougars tied the score with a three-pointer, Williams, Wentz and sophomore guard Coby Gold (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) scored in the final 1:18 to make the halftime score 42-36 Macalester. The Scots shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half compared to 46.4 percent for Minn. Morris.

The second half remained close, with the Cougars pulling to within two, 50-48 midway through the half. A basket by sophomore forward Armando Akapo-Nwagbo (Owerri, Nigeria/Pomona), four points from Williams and a three-pointer by first year Ryan Brush (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) gave the Scots their largest lead of the game, 59-50 with five minutes to play. After Morris made it a five-point game, 59-54 with a pair of baskets, two free throws by Gold pushed the lead back up to seven, 61-54 with 41 seconds remaining. A conventional three-point play by Gus Gunderson, a missed Macalester free throw and a jumper by Gunderson made things interesting down the stretch. But the Scots inbounded the ball to sophomore guard Robert Grace IV (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), and he dribbled down the court as time expired.

Macalester's shooting cooled off to a chilly 22.6 percent in the second half, but the Cougars weren't much better at 24.3 percent. Akapo-Nwagbo had a career night with 15 rebounds and three blocks to go with six points, all career highs, in 25 minutes off the bench. Williams paced the offense with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Gold and Wentz each tallied 14 points, with Gold adding six boards and two steals, and Wentz contributing five rebounds. Pal Dak led the Cougars with 15 points.

The Scots return to MIAC play on Wednesday, Feb. 1 with a game at Concordia College. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. in Moorhead, Minn.