Mason’s career-high 25 points lift men’s basketball team past Kalamazoo, 75-58

OLIVET, Mich. – Senior Eldridge Mason scored a season-high 25 points to help the Olivet College men's basketball team defeat Kalamazoo College, 75-58, in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest this evening at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Olivet 75, Kalamazoo 58
Location: The Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Olivet 7-7 overall, 2-1 MIAA; Kalamazoo 5-9 overall, 0-3 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Neither team led by more than four points in the early stages of the game. The Comets took the largest lead of the game for either team at 17-10 on a slam dunk by senior Jalen Adams. Olivet extended its lead to double figures for the first time, 25-15, with 4:55 left before halftime. The Hornets fought back with a 10-2 run over the next two minutes and five seconds to trail by just two points, 27-25. The Comets closed the half on a 7-1 run to lead by eight points, 34-26, at the break.
• In the second half, Kalamazoo cut its deficit down to nine points twice, with the last time being 39-30. Olivet answered with a 14-4 run to extend its lead to 19 points. During the run, the Comets made four three-pointers – two for Mason, and one each for Adams and junior Chase Brocker. The Hornets battled back and made the score 54-41 with 12:09 remaining in the game.
• Olivet came back with a 12-3 run to take their largest lead of the game, 66-44. Mason drained three more shots from behind the arc during the run. The closest Kalamazoo would get was the 17-point margin of defeat.

FOR THE COMETS

• Olivet shot 42.9 percent from the floor. After a dismal 1-of-11 shooting from behind the arc in the first half, the Comets made 8-of-13 triples in the second half. The Comets committed only seven turnovers compared to 18 for the Hornet.
• Mason scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half. For the game, he made 8-of-15 baskets, including six three-pointers, and 3-of-4 free throws.
• Adams finished with a double-double, 22 points and game-high 10 rebounds.
• Junior Tracy Edmond dished out 10 assists and scored nine points.

FOR THE HORNETS

• Jimmy Paprocki led Kalamazoo with 15 points.
• Tanner Blyly contributed 11 points.
• Jack Smith had 10 points.
• Ben Reiter grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Mason's previous scoring high was 21 points against Defiance (11/18/2017) and Mount Union (12/30/2017).
• Adams has scored more than 20 points in 11 of 14 games this season.

UP NEXT

• The Comets will play six of their next seven games on the road, beginning Saturday afternoon against Alma College at 3 p.m.