DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men's basketball team fell behind early and never recovered in a 60-53 loss to the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) action on Monday night at Reif Gym.
St. Olaf (9-6, 5-5 MIAC) fell in a 9-2 hole over the first three minutes and never recovered, leading for only 28 seconds in the game to fall to 3-5 on the road this season. St. Scholastica (4-11, 3-7 MIAC) snapped a seven-game losing streak and improved to 4-2 at home this season with the victory.
First year
Kobe Kirk reached double figures in scoring for the 13th time in 15 games with a team-high 11 points for St. Olaf, which shot just 4-for-19 (21.1 percent) from three-point range in the loss after entering the night shooting 37.6 percent from behind the arc for the season. Fifth-year senior
Nathan Hendler was the only other Ole in double figures with 10 points.
Nick Carlson had a game-high 15 points and six rebounds to pace St. Scholastica, which got 10 points apiece from Noah Winesett and Isiah Hendrickson. Kevin Thomas recorded eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds to help the Saints record a 40-32 advantage on the glass. St. Scholastica turned 13 offensive rebounds into a 10-4 edge in second-chance points.
The hosts scored on four of their first five possessions as part of a 9-2 start over the first 2:51 of the game before Hendler hit back-to-back three-pointers to ignite a 9-0 run that gave St. Olaf its lone lead of the game. Senior Michael Merigigoli capped the run with a three-point play the put the Oles up 11-9 with 15:36 to go in the half.
The Saints scored the next seven points to take the lead and never relinquished it. A three-pointer by Jeff Moore with 8:14 remaining in the half gave St. Scholastica a 24-17 lead, matching its largest of the half. St. Olaf got within three on a layup by sophomore
Addison Metcalf two minutes later, but St. Scholastica took a 30-24 lead into the break after limiting the Oles to 38.5 percent (10-for-26) shooting in the first half.
Layups by Kirk and junior
Connor Martin on back-to-back possessions in the first five minutes of the second half brought St. Olaf within two on two occasions, but the Oles could not get any closer. St. Scholastica never led by more than eight in the second half but held on after committing just two turnovers over the final 20 minutes.
After playing its last four games on the road, St. Olaf plays its next three games at home, beginning with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Gustavus Adolphus College on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at Skoglund Center.
