ST. PAUL, Minn. – In the second meeting of the season between Bethel University and Macalester College, first-year guard Owen Walther (St. Louis, Mo./ John Burroughs School) matched his career-high in three pointers made in a contest with eight. Despite the strong performance, the Scots ended up falling short 76-70. The Scots drop to 6-13 overall and 1-9 in conference play, while the Royals improve to 8-10 overall and 5-5 in the MIAC.
 
After a slow start out of the gate for both squads, Walther provided a spark for the team off the bench. The Scot was able to connect on a pair of threes that gave Macalester some breathing room and extended their lead 16-9. The Royals would continue to fight back and took advantage of the Scots' two-minute scoreless drought to climb back to within one, when first-year tandem Noah Hamburge (Minneapolis, Minn. Minnehaha Academy) and Lucas Meyer (San Diego, Calif./The Bishop's School) knocked down some more shots to snap the cold streak and increase the lead to 24-20.
 
With 6:40 to go in the first half, the Scots began to let it fly from long distance, with Walther tallying five more from beyond the arc and Hamburge getting in on the action with one of his own.  Bethel was able to respond with a few three balls of their own but  senior forward Noah Shannon (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) capped off the stretch with a two-handed dunk that gave the Scots a 43-31 edge. Macalester would carry that lead into the break, as neither team was able to score through the final four minutes of the half.
 
Out of the locker room, the Scots continued to rely on the three ball after Kyle Jilla (Dallas, Texas/Plano West) and Hamburge knocked down a pair of threes to give Macalester a 15-point lead, their largest of the game. Bethel continued to fight back and cut into the Scots lead, eventually bringing it to within four points with 5:19 remaining in the game. The Scots would go ice cold to close out the duel, allowing the Royals to climb back and end the game on a 13-2 run that carried them to a 78-70 victory.
 
Walther finished the contest with eight three-pointers, tying his career high for three-pointers made in a contest, and led all scorers with 25 points. The Scots also had two more contributors in double figures with Shannon logging a 13 point, 10 rebound double-double, and Hamburge finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Joaquin Aguillon (San Rafael, Calif./ The Branson School) served up six assists and came up with three steals for the Scots. Nick Burke led the Royals with 19 points to capture the win.

Macalester is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 31, hosting St. Olaf College, with tip-off set for 3 p.m. in the Leonard Center.