SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Yellowjacket men's basketball team, picked earlier this month to finish third in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in 2023-24, got their season underway Wednesday on the road at Macalester.

The Scots lost an exhibition game to the University of Minnesota last week, but Macalester made headlines when junior guard Caleb Williams put up 41 points on the Golden Gophers. So, the Yellowjackets would have to find a way to shut down the sharpshooting guard.
 
The Yellowjackets didn't completely shut Williams down, who finished the day with 22 points, but their defense as a whole was sound and the Yellowjackets employed a balanced offensive attack to defeat Macalester 88-73 at the Leonard Center.
 
Four players scored in double figures for the Yellowjackets (1-0, 0-0 UMAC) Wednesday, led by J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel), who put up a game-high 26 points to go along with three rebounds, two blocks and six steals, which tied his career high.
 
It took the Yellowjackets some time to find their footing Wednesday, as Macalester scored the first six points and opened up an early 11-2 lead. Walker's first bucket of the game cut the lead in half, but the Scots went on another run to regain the nine-point lead.
 
Down eight at 18-10, the Yellowjackets began to work their way back into the game. A jumper by Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) started the comeback before a three-pointer by Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) pulled the 'Jackets to within one, 20-19, with 11:27 to play in the first half. The Yellowjackets took their first lead just over a minute later when Johnson again hit from behind the arc. The threes kept coming, and five minutes later the Yellowjackets were in front by double digits, 32-22.
 
Each team would add four more points and the 'Jackets led 36-26 at the half.
 
Following the break the Yellowjackets continued to build the lead, but Macalester wasn't going to go away quietly. The 'Jackets built the lead to 46-33, but the Scots mounted a comeback of their own, closing the gap to seven points, 48-41.
 
After that the Yellowjackets went on a 13-3 run, with 11 of the points coming from Walker and Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), to move ahead 61-44. From there the Yellowjackets kept the lead in double figures and cruised to a season-opening victory.
 
In addition to Walker, the Yellowjackets got double-digit points from T.J. Moberg (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) (19), Johnson (17) and Barker (12). Fahrenholtz had seven points and a team-high nine rebounds.
 
As a team the Yellowjackets shot 50.8 percent for the game, and 50 percent from three-point range.
 
Kaden Holdbrook led Macalester with 23 points.
 
Next up for the Yellowjackets is a meeting with former Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conrference (WIAC) foe UW-La Crosse in their first game of the 2023 Merrill Thompson Classic, sponsored by National Bank of Commerce. The opening tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.