Men’s basketball team rallies to defeat Alma, 81-75

The Olivet College men’s basketball team erased an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Alma College, 81-75, this evening at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet. With the win, the Comets remain tied with Hope College for first-place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings.

Box Score

Team Stats

Photo by Brian Freiberger
Photo by Brian Freiberger
February 7, 2018

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team erased an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Alma College, 81-75, this evening at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet. With the win, the Comets remain tied with Hope College for first-place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Olivet 81, Alma 75
Location: The Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Mich.
Records: Olivet 13-9 overall, 8-3 MIAA; Alma 8-14 overall, 5-6 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Scots led by as many as 13 points, 42-29, late in the opening half. The Comets made the final basket to trail by 11 points, 42-31, at the break.
  • Alma stretched its lead to 14 points, 47-33, early in the second half. Olivet countered with a 12-0 run over the next two and one-half minutes to cut its deficit down to two points, 47-45, at the 14:06 mark. The Scots did not give up and took a pair of six-point leads, with the last time being 55-49.
  • The Comets responded with an 11-4 run to take its first lead, 60-59. The teams traded baskets and free throws for several possessions, resulting in two deadlocked scores. Senior Jalen Adams made a basket with 3:32 left to put Olivet ahead, 69-67. The Comets did not relinquish their lead for the rest of the game.
  • The game was truly a tale of two halves. In the first half, the Scots shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the floor compared to 36.4 percent (12-of-33) for Olivet. In the second half, the Comets had a 55.9 field goal percentage (19-of-34) compared to 37.9 percent (11-of-29) for Alma. For the game, both teams drained five three-pointers and 14 free throws. The difference in the game was Olivet made three more baskets.

FOR THE COMETS

  • Adams led all players with 25 points and 15 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the season.
  • Edmond had a near double-double with 21 points and eight assists.
  • Senior Eldridge Mason contributed 10 points.
  • Junior Chase Brocker chipped-in nine points.

FOR THE SCOTS

  • Doug Bradfield and Ryan Stevens each scored 15 points.
  • Kevin Scheibert recorded 12 points.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

  • With the win, Olivet completes the season sweep against the Scots. The last time the Comets won both regular season games against Alma was during the 2011-12 season. And ironically the seven-point total margin of victory in those two games matches the total margin of victory in the two games this season.
  • The MIAA standings after tonight's game has Olivet and Hope sharing the top spot with 8-3 records. Adrian is a game behind at 7-4, and Trine is fourth at 6-5.

UP NEXT

  • Olivet hosts Adrian College Saturday night at 7 p.m.