Jennings and McClary record double-doubles, as men’s basketball team defeats Finlandia, 80-68

Behind double-doubles by juniors Nathan Jennings (Grant) and Michael McClary (Bellaire), the Olivet College men's basketball team defeated Finlandia University, 80-68, in a non-conference tilt today inside The Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

In the first half, the Comets led by as many as 12 points, 21-9, at the 13:49 mark when sophomore Jaren Edsall (Whitehall) drained a three-pointer. The Lions clawed their way back to tie the game at 29-29 with 6:53 left before halftime. Olivet led for the remainder of the half and took a 39-35 lead at the break.

With 16:10 left in the game, Finlandia forced a 45-45 tie. From that point, the Comets went on a 30-7 scoring spurt over the next nine minutes to take their largest lead of the game, 75-52, at the 7:36 mark. The 12-point margin of defeat would be the smallest deficit for the Lions.

For the game, Olivet shot 46.5 percent (33-of-71) from the floor and made 11-of-15 free throws (73.3 percent). The Comets won the battle of the boards, 47-29, and recorded 22 assists.

McClary led all scorers with 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, and the fourth in the last five games. Jennings had 23 points and game-high 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He also dished out four assists, blocked a shot and made four steals in 31 minutes. Junior Joe Post (Olivet) posted season-highs in points (8) and assists (5). Junior Andre Evans (Muskegon/Muskegon Heights) dished out a team-high seven assists.

Finlandia was led by Anthony Grandberry with 18 points. Mario Cooper and Tyler Gordon contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively. Erik Bresette pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Olivet will be back in action Tuesday, Dec. 22, when it travels to play Grand Valley State University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. At that, the Comets will break for Christmas and be back in action Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29-30 when they participate in the Wittenberg University/Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic in Springfield, Ohio. Olivet will play the host Tigers in a first round game Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. The consolation and championship games are set for Wednesday at 2:15 and 7 p.m., respectively.