ST. PAUL, Minn. – In a match-up featuring the top two scorers in the MIAC, senior forward Noah Shannon (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) came out on top, but Macalester College lost to Concordia College, 93-82 in a men's basketball game Wednesday night in the Leonard Center. The Scots are now 6-12 overall and 1-8 in conference play, while the Cobbers improve to 12-5, 4-4 MIAC.

Shannon scored 33 points, his fifth game with at least 30 points, while Concordia's Jacob Cook tallied 17 points before fouling out. The two forwards entered tonight's game 0.1 points per game apart, with Shannon now leading the MIAC with 21.5 points per game and Cook in second at 20.4.

The Cobbers reeled off the first eight points of the game and led 10-2 before the Scots came back to tie the score at 10-10. Payton Schell hit a pair of threes to help Concordia build a 22-12 advantage, only to have Macalester fight back again. Shannon scored six points and first year forward Javier Diaz (Lake Oswego, Ore./Tualatin) scored five in a 16-2 Scots' run that made the score 28-24 Macalester with 3:16 left in the half. Again the scales tipped the other way, as the Cobbers tallied 11 of the next 14 points for a 35-31 edge. Shannon converted a conventional three-point play before the end of the half to make the halftime score 35-34 Concordia. Schell hit five threes in the half, while Shannon had 11 points to help the Scots outscore the Cobbers in the paint, 16-4.

The second half started well for Macalester, with Shannon scoring four points and first year guard Lucas Myer (San Diego, Calif./The Bishop's School) making a pair of free throws to put the Scots ahead, 40-38. But Cook, Schell and Jackson Loge scored consecutive baskets, and Concordia never trailed again. The lead grew to as many as 19 points, 85-66 with 5:21 remaining, before Macalester closed with a 16-8 run that made the final score 93-82. The Cobbers shot 62.5 percent from the field after halftime and made 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. The Scots also shot the ball well in the second half, shooting 55.6 percent overall, but made just 3-of-12 from three-point range.

Shannon was 9-of-10 from the floor for 22 points in the second half, finishing with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting for the game. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Diaz tallied 15 points and six boards, while first year guard Noah Hamburge (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) recorded 14 points and a career-best 10 rebounds for his first double-double as a Scot. Sophomore guard Joaquin Aguillon (San Rafael, Calif./The Branson School) dished out six assists. Schell made seven threes en route to 34 points to lead Concordia.

Macalester returns to action next Wednesday, Jan. 28 to host Bethel University. The MIAC contest begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Leonard Center.