Men’s basketball finished its best season in over 20 years on Saturday with a solid win over visiting St. John’s University. While the game itself meant little for final season standings, it was all about pride and momentum. After a string of close games, including an upset loss to St. Olaf and a Hamline team that hung around for too long, the Scots were looking for a strong game to cement their status as an elite team in the MIAC. The first half was rough for both sides, as the Johnnies and the Scots shot rather poorly and combined to go 0-for-16 from beyond the arc. Things stayed close and exciting, however, as neither team was able to build more than a 6-point advantage. Down 32-26 with a minute to go, Chris Assel ’04 pulled off the play of the half: a juke that sent a Johnnie sprawling, followed by a quick move to the basket for the lay-in and a foul on the shot. The subsequent miss was gathered by Lars Johnson ’07 who got a bucket and was fouled, turning the entire sequence into a big 5-point play for Macalester. The Scots were still down at the break by a single point, 34-33.

The halftime pep talk must have worked because the Scots lit things up in the second half, firing 60 percent from the field on 15-for-25 shooting while still playing tough defense. Macalester kept looking to bust things open, finally going on a run midway through the period to go up 74-60 off of two huge back-to-back 3-pointers by Will Moeller ’05. SJU wasn’t going to quit and sought to battle back. A monster dunk (and technical foul), however, by Ben Van Thorre ’04 sealed the win as screams of “MVP” rained down upon the disqualified captain. Even without its top scorer, Macalester coasted the rest of the way, winning 86-70.

Van Thorre again led the Scots with 24 points and 12 rebounds; he was joined by a number of teammates who stepped up with good games. Brendan Bosman ’06 continued to play well, putting up 10 points. Assel (12 points), Adam Denny ’04 (eight points, nine rebounds), Wes McFarland ’05 (11 points) and the sharp-shooting Moeller (12 points on 4-7 shooting from 3-point-land) combined to provide almost all the rest of Macalester’s scoring. The 16 conference wins for this team is an all-time school record and represents the best season since the 1980-81 team won the MIAC.

That team, which was itself the first to win a MIAC title in over 40 years, was honored at halftime of Saturday’s game. By winning the title 20 years ago, that team accomplished what must have seemed to them an impossible task. Last year, the team that finished second in the MIAC standings went on an amazing playoff run, falling three points short of a national championship. This year, after a 20 year hiatus, Macalester is back. This year, Macalester is the second place team. The question might again be asked, “Do you believe in miracles?”

(Note: This was written before Thursday’s game, so if I just made a complete jackass of myself, I apologize. At any rate, if you see a men’s basketball player, congratulate them on an amazing season and/or wish them good uck in the playoffs.)