Men’s basketball: Bulldogs hang on to beat Comets, 57-55

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team was defeated by Adrian College, 57-55, in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest today at the Merillat Center in Adrian.

In the first half, the Bulldogs had a five-point lead on three occasions, with the last time being 17-12 at the 8:59 mark. Over the next two minutes and 21 seconds, the Comets scored nine straight points to take a four-point lead, 21-17. Adrian answered with a 5-1 scoring spurt to tie the game at 22-22.

There were two more tied scores 23-23 and 26-26. Freshman Shaun McKinney and sophomore Eric Ewing hit back-to-back triples late in the first half to give Olivet a six-point cushion, 32-26, at intermission.

In the opening 20 minutes of play, the Comets shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the floor and made 5-of-9 free throws. The Bulldogs were 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) from the floor and 6-of-12 (50 percent) from the charity stripe. Freshman Jake Zielinski had seven points, while Ewing and senior DeOndre Callahan each scored six.

Adrian started the second half with a 12-1 run to take a 38-33 lead. Olivet trailed by only two points, 40-38, after Ewing made a free throw to complete an "old-fashioned" three-point play with 8:43 left in the game. After the Bulldogs pushed their lead back to five points on a three-pointer, the Comets made two straight baskets to cut their deficit to one point, 43-42.

Another triple pushed Adrian's lead to four points, 46-42, at the 5:38 mark. A put-back basket by Zielinski and two made free throws by sophomore Kevin Woodson knotted the score at 46-46. The Bulldogs responded with a three-pointer for a 49-46 lead.

Olivet tied the game one more time when Woodson drained a free throw to cap another three-point play with 3:05 remaining in the contest. Adrian came right back with a layup to go up 51-49. After the Comets were called for an offensive foul, the Bulldogs hit their 10th and final trey of the game to go up five points, 54-49.

Olivet committed two turnovers and as a result, Adrian made two free throws to push its lead seven points, 56-49. Zielinski made a three-pointer to make the score 56-52. The Bulldogs seemed to take control when they drained one more free throw to go up 57-52 with 29 seconds left.

Zielinski nailed his third triple of the game to cut the Comets' deficit to two points, 57-55, with 22 seconds remaining. Adrian missed the front end of a one-and-one chance at the free throw line, and sophomore R.J. Haas grabbed the defensive rebound. The Bulldogs were called for their sixth team foul with nine seconds left. Following an Adrian timeout, Zielinski missed a last-second, game-tying shot.

The Comets finished the game with a 46.5 shooting percentage, making 20-of-43 baskets. Zielinski led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Ewing joined him in double figures with 11 points.

The Bulldogs canned 19 total shots, with 10 coming from three-point range. Rickey Jackson paced them with a game-high 25 points. Curtis Gordon added 11 points. Justin Webster pulled down a team-best seven rebounds.

Olivet returns home to host Kalamazoo College next Wednesday, Feb. 4, starting at 7:30 p.m.