ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team hosted Luther College in the 2024-25 season opener Friday night in a boisterous Leonard Center. A slow finish to the first half was too much to overcome in a 53-46 loss to the Norse in a non-conference game. Last year the Scots were 10-15 overall, while Luther was 7-18 in 2023-24.

Macalester came out hot, with sophomore guard Kaden Holdbrook (Palo Alto, Calif./Gunn) hitting a pair of threes and senior guard Marcus Crawford (Edina, Minn./Edina) making another as a part of a 9-1 run to start the game. Another three from junior forward Ryan Brush (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) stopped a 6-0 response from the Norse to make the score 12-7. Two Luther three-pointers sandwiched around a basket by Brush made it a one-point game, 14-13 before a free throw from junior forward Noah Shannon (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) put the Scots up, 15-13 with 9:23 remaining in the first half.

From that point Macalester went cold offensively, missing its final 14 field goal attempts of the second half while Luther went on a 12-0 run to take a 25-15 lead at halftime. The Scots held the Norse to 33.3 percent shooting in the first half but shot just 16.1 percent from the field themselves.

Macalester didn't score until the 17:10 mark of the second half, when Brush made a three-pointer to end six straight points for the Norse. Luther pushed its lead to 33-18 with 14:17 on the clock when the Scots started a comeback. Five points from Holdbrook and Brush's third three-pointer of the game made the score 33-26 Luther with 11:49 left. After a basket by Aidan Bailey, Holdbrook drained another three, then converted a conventional three-point play before Shannon made a layup to make it a one-point game, 37-36 with seven minutes remaining.

Luther responded by scoring the next eight points to restore its lead to nine, 45-36 at the 4:26 mark. Holdbrook led one last charge with five straight points, and a basket by junior guard Eric Wentz (Minot, N.D./Minot) brought the Scots to within four, 47-43 with two minutes left. Wentz answered a Luther basket with a three-pointer that made the score 49-46 with 31 seconds remaining, but the Norse made their free throws down the stretch to wrap up the win.

Macalester shot the ball better in the second half, making 42.9 percent from the field, but the Scots were out-rebounded, 45-38 and made just 3-of-8 from the free throw line. Holdbrook led all players with a career-high 24 points that included four three-pointers. He also grabbed six rebounds. Brush finished with 11 points and four rebounds, while Wentz notched a team-leading seven rebounds. Mikkel Schutte had nine points and nine rebounds to lead Luther.

Macalester plays another Iowa school on Saturday, Nov. 9, as Wartburg visits the Leonard Center. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.