Men's basketball team loses to No. 11 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 74-53

Playing its first game in 18 days, the Olivet College men's basketball team fell to nationally-ranked foe University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 74-53, this afternoon at the Upton Center in Olivet. The Warhawks entered the game ranked No. 11 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.

The Comets (2-5) kept the game close for the first seven minutes off a pair of three-pointers from senior Brandon Way (Detroit/Southwestern). Following a three-point basket by sophomore Joel Kerns (North Judson, Ind.) to cut the Olivet deficit to four points, 15-11, Whitewater (6-1) went on a 17-0 scoring run to take a 32-11 lead. A three-pointer and layup by senior John Zenner (Kinglsey) were the final five points of the half, as the Warhawks led 32-16 at the break.

The Warhawks turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, extending its lead to as many as 27 points, 57-30, with just under 10 minutes remaining. Olivet did manage to trim its deficit down to 12 points, 65-53, at the 3:22 mark.

The Comets' bench did outscore the Whitewater bench, 23-16. Kerns came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points. Junior Brandon McClary (Bellaire) joined him in double figures with 11 points. He also grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds, four off the defensive glass and four off the offensive glass.

For the Warhawks, Myles McKay led all scorers with 22 points. Rob Perry contributed 17 points, while Josh King had a team-high nine rebounds.

Olivet will return to action Friday and Saturday, Dec. 28-29, when it participates in the Wittenberg (Ohio) University/Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic. The Comets will play the host Tigers Friday evening at 7:45 p.m. The consolation and championship games are set for Saturday at 2:45 and 7:45 p.m., respectively.