Men’s basketball team rallies past Albion, 73-65

The Olivet College men's basketball team began the second half of its league with a thrilling 73-65 come-from-behind victory over Albion College today at Kresge Gymnasium in Albion.

In the early stages of the game, Olivet fell behind by 11 points on two occasions with the last time being 17-6 at the 11:27 mark. The Comets fought back to trim their deficit to four points, 19-15, before Albion went on a 14-7 to go back up by 11 points. The Britons settled for a 39-33 halftime lead.

Olivet came back and took its first lead of the game, 56-54, at the midway point of the second half when senior Andy Clark (Lansing/Perry) hit three consecutive three-pointers. The Comets did not trail for the rest of the game. Olivet drained 6-of-6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory.

Junior Michael McClary (Bellaire) posted his 11th double-double of the season, 19 points and 12 rebounds, to lead the Comets. Junior Andre Evans (Muskegon/Heights) added 16 points and game-high eight assists. Clark tied his season-high with 16 markers.

Albion was led by J.C. Cruse with 32 points, including 23 in the first half. Andre Bridges added 11 points and eight rebounds.

Olivet will play two important MIAA games at home next week. On Wednesday, the Comets host Calvin College and on Saturday, they play Hope College. Both games will tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

NOTE: McClary needs just 10 points to become the 13th player in school history to score 1,000 points.