Men’s basketball team loses 85-76 to Adrian

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team came up short against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Adrian College, 85-76, in front of a spirited crowd at the Upton Center Gymnasium.

Final Score: Adrian 85, Olivet 76
Location: Upton Center Gymnasium; Olivet, Michigan
Records: Adrian 14-10 overall, 8-5 MIAA; Olivet 6-18 overall, 3-10 MIAA

• The Bulldogs led by nine points, 19-10, at the 13:45 mark of the opening. Back-to-back three-pointers in a 37-second span by junior Delbert Redfield made the score 19-16. Adrian pushed its lead back to six points, 22-16. Six straight Olivet points, capped by a thunderous dunk by junior Eddie Thigpen leveled the score for the first time in the game.
• Two free throws handed the lead back to Adrian with 9:44 left until halftime. The score stayed a two-possession game until the Bulldogs seized a seven-point advantage, 33-26. Adrian would lead by seven points one more time, 36-29, at the 4:31 mark. The Comets fought back and trimmed their deficit down to two points, 37-35. Adrian scored nine of the final 12 points of the half to take an eight-point cushion, 46-38, into the locker room.
• Olivet closed the gap to three points on three occasions in the second half. After the final time at 52-49, the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to go up double digits for the first time and eventually lead by as many as 19 points, 85-66. The Comets did not go down without a fight, as they scored the final 10 points of the game.

• Thigpen scored a game-high 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 7-of-11 free throws.
• Senior Keyon Rainey posted a double-double with 11 points and game-high 10 rebounds.

• Jordan Harris tallied a team-high 25 points.
• Jeremy Kolanji added 18 points.
• Trey Helinski and Kendall Bellamy finished with 16 and 11 points, respectively.
• Bellamy grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.

• Prior to the game, Olivet recognized its four seniors ­– Rainey, and Nathaniel Colon, Ryan Franklin and Jackson Patton.
• All four seniors were in tonight's starting lineup along with Thigpen.
• Each senior also scored at least one point. Rainey had 11 points, followed by Colon (six), Franklin (five) and Patton (four).

• Olivet wraps-up its season Saturday when it makes the short trip to play Albion College. Tip-off at Kresge Gymnasium is 3 p.m.