St. Paul, Minn. – The St. Scholastica men's basketball team traveled to the metro area to take on the Scots from Macalester this afternoon. The Saints jumped out to an early lead, taking a small lead into the second half, but the Scots rode a late run to come away with a victory over CSS this afternoon by a score of 79-76. 

How it Happened

First Half

Aaron Keykal (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) got the Saints on the board in the opening half, converting an and-one to give CSS an early lead. 

Tanner Thomson (Woodbury, Minn./Stillwater High School) and Andre Crockett Jr. (Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS (Rochester Community College)) both contributed to the Saints early run moments later, as Thomson drilled a three-pointer and Crockett Jr. knocked down a jumper, expanding the lead to 10-2. 

Minutes later, Kobe Karels (Cambridge, Minn./Isanti (Aurora University)) showcased his range, converting a three-pointer, followed by a Moe Washington (Silver Spring, Md./Hibbing Community College) layup, as the Saints now led 15-8 midway through the half. 

Keykal and Jacquez Overstreet (Appleton, Wis./Oshkosh West (Marian University)) both got layups to fall at the nine minute mark to put the Saints up by double-digits. 

Karels continued his hot start in the contest, making his second three-pointer of the half, while the Saints lead grew to 22-11. 

Keykal would score twice more before Overstreet drilled his first  and second three-pointers of the half, as Thomson would contribute a three-pointer as well near the end of the half, with CSS taking a 36-31 lead into the halftime break. 

Second Half

The Saints offense got help from Keykal and Bryce Shoto (Owego, Il./Oswego East High School), who scored the opening field goals for the Saints to begin the second half, however the Scots were able to tie the game at 40-40. 

Keykal and Karels traded baskets midway through the half, with Karels draining his third three-pointer of the contest, to put the Saints up briefly at 50-49. 

Layups from Overstreet and Koy Nelson (Port Wing, Wis./South Shore HS) helped get the Saints back on top after the Scots took a brief lead, as well as Karels scoring yet another shot from beyond-the-arc, with the Saints leading 57-56. 

Macalester went on a quick 7-0 run before Keykal converted an and-one, and added to his point total a possession later, with CSS trailing 63-62 with four and a half minutes to play. 

The Scots began to separate themselves from CSS, as a quick 9-2 brought the Macalester lead to 72-64 with less than two minutes left. 

Nelson delivered in the clutch for the Saints, needing quick baskets, he was able to nail a pair of three-pointers to bring the deficit to just four. 

After the Scots had successful trips to the free throw line late, Nelson and Overstreet continued to try to give the Saints a chance to pull off a late miracle, with the duo each knocking down three-pointers, but the Saints ran out of time with the Scots taking today's contest by a score of 79-76. 

Top Performers

• Aaron Keykal (Princeton, Minn./Princeton HS) had a team-high 23 points in the loss today, as the sophomore also grabbed nine rebounds and logged the team's only blocked shot today. 
• Kobe Karels (Cambridge, Minn./Isanti (Aurora University)) added 14 points off the bench in the contest, as he continued to show his value from beyond-the-arc, going a perfect 4/4 from the three-point line. 
• Jacquez Overstreet (Appleton, Wis./Oshkosh West (Marian University)) recorded 13 points for the Saints this afternoon, while also notching a team-leading three steals in the effort. 

The Saints (7-13, 3-8 MIAC) will be back in action on Wednesday, February 5, where they will host the Johnnies from Saint John's University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.