Men's basketball team falls to Alma, 65-63

The Olivet College men's basketball team failed to score down the stretch in a 65-63 loss to Alma College this afternoon at Cappaert Gymnasium in Alma.

The Scots took a six-point lead, 32-26, with 3:24 left before halftime. Olivet rallied with six straight points to tie the game at 32-32. After the teams traded three-point baskets, the Comets scored the final four points of the half to take a 39-35 lead into the locker rooms.

Early in the second half, Olivet extended its lead to 12 points on two occasions with the last time being, 54-42, with 13:43 left in the game. Alma battled back and tied the game at 60-60 at the 8:04 mark. In the eight minutes, the Comets only made one free throw and one jumper, while the Scots made a three-pointer and layup to pull out the come-from-behind win.

The Comets were led by Brandon and Michael McClary (Bellaire), who combined to score 34 points and grab 22 rebounds. Brandon posted his second double-double this week, scoring 15 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Michael had 19 points and nine rebounds.

Ryan DeHaan paced Alma with 18 points on six-of-six shooting from behind the three-point arc. Jordan Redditt came off the bench to score 15 points, while Josh Shattuck had 13 points. Ted DeYoung grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds.

Olivet hosts a pair of MIAA contests next week, beginning Wednesday night when it welcomes Tri-State (Ind.) University to the Upton Center for a 7:30 p.m. game. On Saturday, the Comets play Kalamazoo at 3 p.m.