WINONA, Minn. – The Macalester College men's basketball team concluded its 2024-25 campaign with an 84-70 victory over Saint Mary's University Wednesday night at Saint Mary's Fieldhouse. The Scots finish the season with an overall record of 9-16, including a 6-10 mark in the conference, while the Cardinals end their season at 6-20, 2-14 MIAC.

First year guard JP Kerrigan (Atherton, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep), who poured in a career-high 31 points while making eight three-pointers in Macalester's 81-67 win over Concordia on Wednesday, picked up where he left off by opening the game with two straight threes. After Saint Mary's answered with five points, Kerrigan drained another from deep for a 9-5 lead. The game evened out with four ties over the next five minutes. With the score 18-16 Cardinals, the Scots took control by tallying the next 12 points, including threes from first year guard Logan Davis (Kensington, Md./Bethesda Chevy Chase) and junior forward Ryan Brush (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue), for a 30-18 lead.

Following a 10-6 run for Saint Mary's that made it an eight-point game, 36-28, the teams exchanged baskets over the final 2:27 of the half to make the score 42-34 Macalester at the break. The Scots shot 53.1 percent from the field, including 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three-point range. Kerrigan hit four three-pointers for 12 points in the first half.

On Macalester's first possession of the second half, Kerrigan drained another three to give the Scots a 45-34 advantage. The teams traded baskets over the next three minutes until junior forward Noah Shannon (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) converted a conventional three-point play for a 52-40 lead for Macalester. With the Scots still up 12, 60-48, a three-pointer by senior guard Marcus Crawford (Edina, Minn./Edina) made it a 15-point lead, 63-48 with 12:54 remaining.

Also playing their final game of the season, the Cardinals did not resign, utilizing a 16-7 run buoyed by two threes from Jonah Ogunsanya to cut the deficit to seven, 70-64 with seven minutes left. Senior forward Armando Akapo-Nwagbo (Owerri, Nigeria/Pomona) answered with a basket, then Kerrigan made a turnaround jumper and a three to push the lead back up to 77-64 with 4:44 left. The Cardinals never came closer than 10 points the rest of the way, as the Scots earned the season sweep.

Macalester ended up shooting 50.7 percent from the field while making 14-of-35 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc. Kerrigan was 6-of-9 from deep to finish with 22 points. Shannon matched Kerrigan with 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. He also grabbed eight rebounds and delivered five assists. Brush added nine points on three three-pointers. Akapo-Nwagbo led the Scots with 10 rebounds to go with eight points, while Crawford registered eight points, four rebounds and three assists. Fellow seniors Luke Moore (San Francisco, Calif./Stuart Hall), who made a pair of threes, and Robert Grace IV (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) also played in their final games for the Orange and Blue. The senior class also includes forward Badou Ba (Washington, D.C./Williston Northampton) and guard Tom Andreae (Newton, Mass./Newton North), who did not play due to injury.