ST. PAUL, Minn. – Sophomore Michael Meriggioli recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 14 points and 10 rebounds and the St. Olaf College men's basketball team defeated Macalester College for the second time in three days with a 54-47 win on Sunday afternoon at Leonard Center.

Meriggioli shot 6-for-12 from the field and added a pair of steals to his 14 points and career-high 10 rebounds for St. Olaf (2-0), which also got 12 points and five rebounds from first year Connor Martin. The Oles held Macalester (0-2) to 27.7 percent shooting from the field and used an 8-0 run over a four-and-a-half minute stretch past the midway point of the second half to break open a two-point game.

St. Olaf led by just two, 37-35, after a layup by Jackson Henningfield layup with 8:10 remaining but proceeded to hold Macalester scoreless for the next 4:43 during an 8-0 run that included a pair of layups by Meriggioli and a three-pointer by Josh Albers. The Scots got within four with 43 seconds remaining but could get no closer, as a Martin layup followed by a defensive stop secured the win for the Oles.

After shooting just 26.9 percent (7-for-26) in the first half, St. Olaf shot at a 46.4 percent (13-for-28) clip in the final 20 minutes. The Scots shot under 35.0 percent in both halves and finished 18-for-65) from the field, including 5-for-28 (17.9 percent) from behind the arc.

St. Olaf held Macalester scoreless for the first 6:42 of the game as the Scots missed their first 11 shots from the field. Meriggioli had the first two baskets of the game for the Oles, who led 7-0 before Henningfield rattled in a three-pointer with 13:18 remaining in the half to get Macalester on the board.

After Henningfield's three, layups by Carter Uphus and Charlie Haff gave St. Olaf its largest lead of the half at 11-3. The Scots gradually chipped away at the deficit and took their first lead of the game at 16-15 with 2:03 left after consecutive three-pointers by Tom Andreae.

Martin, who led the Oles with 16 points in his collegiate debut on Friday evening, scored St. Olaf's final six points of the half, but Macalester led 20-19 at halftime after two free throws from Tyler McFarland with less than two seconds on the clock.

Henningfield shot 9-for-18 from the field on his way to a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Eric Sathy and Lucas Leiter each added eight points for the hosts. Ten Oles scored in the game, compared to six Scots, as St. Olaf enjoyed a 28-14 advantage in bench points thanks to Martin's dozen points.

The two teams meet for the third of four matchups on Thursday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at Skoglund Center. No fans are able to attend the game but live video and live stat links are available.