Men’s basketball team drops 84-75 decision at Manchester

N. MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Olivet College men's basketball team lost 84-75 to Manchester (Ind.) University at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena in North Manchester, Indiana.

In the first half, the Comets led by four points, 8-4, after senior Lee Gardner made a free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play. The Spartans scored eight straight points to take their own four-point lead, 12-8. Manchester continued to lead until Olivet battled back to tie the game at 21-21 with 8:47 left in the opening half.

The Spartans then went on a 16-6 run to take their first double digit lead of the game, 37-27. The Comets responded with their own 10-2 scoring spurt, capped by a three-pointer from sophomore Ryan Anderson, to trim their deficit to two points, 39-37. Manchester scored the last basket of the half for a 41-37 advantage at halftime.

In the second half, the Spartans stretched their lead to seven points, 52-45, following back-to-back layups by Adrian Johnson. Manchester kept its lead until Olivet took a 66-65 lead with 9:36 remaining in the game. From there, the Spartans outscored Olivet, 19-7, over the next eight minutes and 35 seconds to go up by 11 points, 84-73. A layup by Gardner as time expired were the final points of the game.

Gardner posted his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Chris Chrzan finished with 13 points, while freshman Jermell Johnson came off the bench to score 12 points.

For Manchester, Brady Dolezal had a game-high 22 points, including 13 from the free throw line. Johnson contributed 17 points and five steals. Enis Becirevic chipped-in 15 points, and Blake Brouwer grabbed a team-leading 12 rebounds.

The Comets stay on the road to face Grand Valley State University Friday night at 7 p.m.