Men’s varsity basketball opened the 2001-2 season by splitting a pair of games against NAIA nationally-ranked teams in Florida last weekend.

The Scots fell to Flagler (Fla.), ranked 18 in the NAIA Division II, 72-64 last Friday but regrouped and defeated third-ranked Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 85-80 the next day in the Daytona Beach News-Journal Thanksgiving Classic.

Macalester took a 38-36 lead into the locker room at halftime against Flagler, but the Scots struggled in the second half. Forward Ben Van Thorre ’04 lead the Scots with 23 points, shooting 8-for-16 from the field while grabbing seven rebounds and three steals. Forward Patrick Russell picked up a double-double in the season opener, scoring 11 points while grabbing 10 boards. Wes MacFarland ’05 came off the bench and scored 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 17 minutes of play.

Van Thorre gave the Scots another outstanding performance in the 85-80 win over Embry-Riddle. Down 42-37 at halftime and 11 points with 12 minutes remaining, the Scots found their groove latein the second half and scored 48 points, shooting 51 percent from the field for the entire game. Van Thorre was the go-to guy for the Scots once again, scoring 26 points and lifted the Scots at the end with 10-12 shooting from the free throw line. Guard Ryan Gerry ’03 added 20 points, nailing down four of his seven three-point attempts and also making four steals. Russell came close to the triple-double, with 14 points, nine boards and eight assists. Center Doug Benson ’02 made his presence felt in the post, scoring 18 and blocking three shots.

Macalester plays its first MIAC game at 3 p.m. tomorrow against St. John’s. The Johnnies are the defending conference champions and were ranked 21 nationally in the most recent D3hoops.com NCAA Top 25 poll.

The Scots will make a strong push for a MIAC playoff berth this season, aiming to finish among the top six in the conference standings this season. Last season, Macalester finished in seventh place with an 8-12 record, losing six conference games by four points or less. Already looking much improved, head coach Curt Kiesler’s team was given a further boost with the return of Russell, who averaged 19.6 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game and shot 89.8 percent from the free throw line in the 1999-2000 season.