Women’s basketball: Lang’s 33 points help Olivet slip past Adrian, 78-76

Senior Stefanie Lang scored a game-high 33 points to lead the Olivet College women’s basketball team to a 78-76 win over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Adrian College tonight at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

Box Score

Team Stats

Women’s basketball: Lang’s 33 points help Olivet slip past Adrian, 78-76
February 18, 2015

OLIVET, Mich. – Senior Stefanie Lang scored a game-high 33 points to lead the Olivet College women's basketball team to a 78-76 win over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Adrian College tonight at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet. The 33 points is the most by a MIAA basketball player, male or female, this season.

The Bulldogs briefly led 5-4 before Olivet went on a 12-0 run to take a 16-5 lead. The Comets led one more time by 11 points, 18-7. Adrian chipped away at its deficit and trailed by only one point, 30-29, with 32 ticks left before halftime. Junior Jackie Harwood drained a triple from the top of the arc to put Olivet ahead by four points, 33-29, at intermission.

In the second half, the Comets stretched their lead back to double figures, 59-49. The Bulldogs did not go down quietly. In the final 30 seconds, they made two three-pointers to make the 76-73. Junior Leighann Thilo drained two free throws with 6.1 seconds left for a 78-73 Olivet lead. Adrian got one more triple with 0.2 seconds left for the final margin.

For the game, Lang made 12-of-20 baskets and 8-of-10 free throws for her 33 points. She also had nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Thilo contributed nine points and team-best eight points, while junior Shauni Hankins and senior Carli Reid had eight points apiece. Junior Dallas Austin grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds.

The Bulldogs kept the close with 13 of their 24 made baskets coming from behind the three-point arc. Jorden York led the way with 22 points, including five triples. Marissa Cotton added 19 points, with 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range. Antoinea McElroy and Amber McCullough had 15 and 13 points, respectively. McElroy and Traevie Shelton pulled down six rebounds apiece.

Olivet celebrates Senior Day Saturday when it welcomes Saint Mary's (Ind.) College to The Cutler Event Center in Olivet for a 3 p.m. game. The Comets control their own destiny for a berth in the 2015 MIAA Tournament. An Olivet win over Saint Mary's and a Trine loss to Hope on Saturday puts Olivet in the tournament, while an Olivet loss puts Trine in regardless of its outcome vs. Hope.