Women’s basketball: Olivet defeats Adrian, 73-61

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Olivet College women's basketball team improved to 8-8 on the season with a 73-61 win over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Adrian College this afternoon at the Merillat Sport & Fitness Center in Adrian.

The Bulldogs led by five points, 7-2, before a 7-0 Comet run put them ahead 9-7. Olivet stretched its lead to seven points, 19-12, after senior Stefanie Lang made a free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play at the 7:36 mark.

Adrian battled back to tie the game at 21-21 and 24-24. The Comets made the next basket and did not give up the advantage for the rest of the half, leading by one point, 29-28, at the intermission.

The Bulldogs scored four of the first six points of the second half to take a 32-31 lead. Junior Jackie Harwood started and ended an 11-2 Comet scoring run with three-point baskets, and Olivet led by seven points, 42-35, with 13:32 left in the game.

The Comets eventually led by nine points four times, with the last time being 54-45 at the 9:36 mark. Adrian was able to cut its deficit down to only three points twice. After the last time 56-53, Olivet scored seven straight points, capped by a three-pointer by junior Leighann Thilo, to extend its lead to double figures for the first time. The Bulldogs got only as close as eight points and the Comets led by as many as 12 points.

Olivet shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the floor to 28.8 percent (17-of-59) for Adrian. The Comets made one more shot from three-point range, but the Bulldogs made 23-of-30 free throws to 18-of-24 for Olivet.

Lang posted the 36th double-double of her career by leading all players with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Harwood was a spark off the bench with 11 points, while junior Shauni Hankins scored 10 points. Senior Carli Reid grabbed eight rebounds, and Thilo scored eight points.

Antoinea McElroy provided a team-leading 15 points for the Bulldogs. Amber McCullough finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Comets are on the road next Wednesday, Jan. 21, to play Saint Mary's (Ind.) College at 7:30 p.m.

NOTE: With her 22 points, Lang moved into third on the all-time Olivet scoring list with 1,030 points. Next up is Esther Dykstra who had 1,073 points from 1988-92.