ST. PAUL, Minn. – Sophomore Kobe Kirk recorded a 23-point, 16-rebound double-double for the St. Olaf College men's basketball team in an 86-82 loss to Macalester College on Wednesday evening at the Leonard Center.

Kirk's 23 points marked his third 20-point performance of the season and his 16 rebounds were a career-high total, but St. Olaf (1-4, 0-2 MIAC) could not slow down Macalester (4-2, 1-1 MIAC), which hit 12 three-pointers and had five scorers in double figures in the win. The Oles have allowed over 80 points in all four of their losses this season.

Senior Connor Martin, fifth-year senior Brendan Kauls, and junior Addison Metcalf all joined Kirk in double figures for St. Olaf, which shot 47.0 percent (31-for-66) from the field and had just nine turnovers on the night. Martin was 9-for-16 from the field on his way to a 19-point performance. Kauls scored all 12 of his points in the first half and added seven rebounds, while Metcalf hit a pair of three-pointers while scoring a career-high 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench.

Eric Wentz paced Macalester with 22 points off the bench, going 6-for-8 from three-point range on a 7-for-11 shooting performance overall. Kaden Holdbrook had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Noah Shannon posted a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds. The Oles limited Caleb Williams, who put up 41 points in an exhibition against the University of Minnesota this season, to 12 points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field.

Tom Andrae scored eight points in the first 2:30 of the game to help the Scots race out to a 10-3 lead early, but Martin and Kauls combined to score all 10 of the Oles' points in a 10-2 run that put St. Olaf up one five minutes in. Later in the half, St. Olaf used a 10-1 run over a four-minute stretch to take its largest lead of the game at 40-33 with 3:13 left, with Kauls scoring six of the 10 points.

The Oles took a 43-38 lead into the locker room after shooting an even 50.0 percent (18-for-36) from the field, including going 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from three-point range before the break. Metcalf was 2-for-3 from behind the arc in the half, while Wentz led the Scots with 11 points off the bench after going 3-for-4 from long distance in the half.

In the second half, neither team led by more than six until Holdbrook scored five-straight points to give Macalester a 64-56 lead with 11:59 remaining. Less than two minutes later, the Scots stretched their lead to 10 at 68-58 – their largest advantage of the night – on back-to-back jumpers by Williams, but the Oles responded with a 10-2 run to get back within two at 70-68 with 6:53 to play.

With Macalester still holding onto the lead, Martin grabbed a rebound and scored a layup in transition with 1:35 to go to cut the Scots' lead to one at 78-77, but Wentz got a kind bounce off the rim on a corner three-pointer on the next possession to push the hosts' lead to four. St. Olaf got back within a point twice – once on a three-point play by Kirk with 29 seconds left and again on a layup by Martin with 4.5 seconds to go – but could not get over the hump, as a flagrant foul with three seconds to go gave the Scots free throws and the ball.

Kirk and Martin combined for 28 of St. Olaf's 39 second-half points, as Kirk had 16 and Martin added 12, while Holdbrook and Wentz combined for 27 points in Macalester's 48-point second half. The Scots were 16-for-22 (72.7 percent) from the free-throw line after the break.

The Oles host Saint Mary's University on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. at Skoglund Center.