Men’s basketball team wins triple overtime thriller over St. Mary’s (Md.), 117-111

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Senior Jalen Adams and junior Tracy Edmond scored 38 points each to help the Olivet College men's basketball team win a thrilling 117-111 triple overtime game over Saint Mary's College of Maryland this afternoon at the Cruzin Classic and inside the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Olivet 117, St. Mary's (Md.) 111 – 3OT
Location: Broward Country Convention Center; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Records: Olivet 3-4 overall, St. Mary's 2-7 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the first half, the Seahawks led by six points, 16-10, before the Comets fought back to take a 21-20 lead. St. Mary's scored the next five points to go ahead, 25-21. Olivet did not get the lead back until Adams made a free throw to complete a three-point play to make the score 34-33 with 2:22 left before halftime. The Comets put the last five points on the scoreboard to take a 39-33 lead into the locker room. Adams scored 24 points in the first half.
• The Seahawks opened the second half on a 10-3 run for a one-point advantage, 43-42. Olivet quickly answered with five straight points to go back on top, 47-43. St. Mary's closed the gap to a point, 49-48, at the 13:02 mark before the Comets went on an 11-4 run over the next four minutes to stretch their lead eight points, 60-52.
• The Seahawks countered with their own 12-3 run to regain the lead, 64-63. Adams made two free throws to put Olivet ahead before St. Mary's used a second-chance basket and free throw to take the lead back, 67-65. Junior Chase Brocker tied the game with two free throws and Edmond made two of his own free throws put the Comets ahead by two, 69-67.
• The Seahawks split two free throws and made a layup to grab the lead back, 70-69. Edmond converted a layup to make the score 71-70 with 42 seconds remaining in the game. St. Mary's called a timeout with 14 seconds left. The go-ahead basket was missed and Adams pulled down the rebound. Junior Diangelo Carlton was fouled and drained both free throws to make the score 73-70. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Ochae Bynum sent the game to overtime.
• The first extra period was back-and-forth. St. Mary's won the tip and made 1-of-2 tosses from the free throw. Edmond put Olivet ahead with a jump shot. The Seahawks took the lead back with two more free throws before another Edmond basket made the score 77-76. A three-pointer for St. Mary's made the score 79-77. Edmond answered with a layup to level the game at 79-79.
• The Seahawks grabbed the lead back but a layup by Carlton pushed the Comets ahead by one, 81-80, at the midway point of the overtime session. St. Mary's had two more free throws to take the lead back. Edmond's three-pointer put Olivet on top by two points. The Seahawks had the answer in the form of a layup to even the score, 84-84. Senior Aaron Washington nailed a three-pointer to make the score 87-84. St. Mary's turned the ball over with 23 seconds left. Edmond was fouled and made both of his chances from the free throw line to make the score 89-84.
• St. Mary's made 4-of-5 free throws after a personal foul and a technical foul with 14 seconds left in the overtime period. Edmond split two free throws to put Olivet by two but a layup by the Seahawks forced a second overtime session with the score knotted at 90-all.
• The Comets went ahead by four points, 95-91, in the second overtime period. Two St. Mary's baskets leveled the score at 95-95. Edmond tallied two free throws at the 1:19 mark before a dunk by the Seahawks tied the game at 97-97. Edmond made a layup for his 34th point of the game made the score 99-97 before two more free throws for St. Mary's leveled the score. Olivet had a chance to win the game but the shot was missed, sending the game to a third overtime.
• In the third extra period, Adams gave the Comets the early lead before a layup and three free throws put the Seahawks on top, 104-101. Olivet then scored 10 straight points – a put-basket by junior John McAdoo, a three-pointer and layup by Adams and three-pointer by Washington – to go ahead by seven points, 111-104.  The Comets held the lead for the rest of the game.

FOR THE COMETS

• Adams made 15-of-25 baskets and 6-of-8 free throws for his 38 points. He also posted a game-high in rebounds (15) and steals (five).
• Edmond drained 12-of-22 field goals and 12-of-17 free throws for his 38 points. He also had eight rebounds and nine assists.
• Washington was a spark off the bench with a season-high 17 points.
• Carlton finished with 11 points.

FOR THE SEAHAWKS

• Bynum led St. Mary's with 25 points.
• Matt Ayoub recorded 21 points, followed by Spencer Schultz with 20. Chris Craft, Jr. and Kevin Makle had 12 points apiece, while Donovan Robinson contributed 10 points.
• Craft, Jr. pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Today's game was the first triple overtime contest in school history.
• It also only the 10th time in school history that both teams scored more than 100 points in the same game. Combined with Olivet's 126-105 loss earlier this season to John Carroll, it is the first time this feat happened twice in the same season.
• The Comets have now played the Seahawks three times in a men's basketball game, and Olivet now leads the series 2-1. The Comets won the first-ever meeting, 71-67, on Dec. 30, 1995, before the Seahawks won 15 years later, 82-81, on Dec. 17, 2010

UP NEXT

• The Comets play one more game in Florida against Simpson (Iowa) College tomorrow night at 6 p.m.