Men’s basketball team comes up short against Kalamazoo, 90-83

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team came up short against Kalamazoo College, 90-83, in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest this afternoon at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with two tied scores and 17 lead changes. The Hornets led by six points twice, with the last time being 15-9 at the 16:26 mark. The Comets battled back and took a 22-21 lead when sophomore T.J. Vondette (Hemlock) drained a three-pointer with 10:42 left in the opening half.

The teams exchanged baskets until Olivet opened a six-point lead, 37-31, at the 4:55 mark after Vondette made a fast-break layup. The Hornets came back with an 8-1 for a 39-38 lead. The Comets scored the final three points of the half to take a 41-39 at halftime.

Kalamazoo opened the second with a 15-5 run to gain its largest lead of the game, 54-46. Olivet answered with eight straight points to tie the game, 54-54. The Hornets responded by taking a four-point lead, 60-56. The Comets fought back and seized their own four-point lead, 71-67, with 7:28 remaining in the game.

Undeterred, Kalamazoo went on an 11-3 scoring spurt to regain a four-point lead, 78-74. Olivet answered with five straight points to take the lead back, 79-78. The Hornets tied the game on a free throw. Vondette put the Comets back ahead on a jumper, but that would be their last lead of the game. Kalamazoo knotted the score for a seventh time on a layup and took the lead for good on a three-pointer.

Overall for the game, Olivet made three more field goals and four more three-pointers than the Hornets. The difference in the game was Kalamazoo was 26-of-27 from the free throw line, while the Comets were 9-of-18.

Vondette recorded a double-double, 23 points and 13 rebounds, to lead Olivet. Freshman R.J. Haas (Albion) was a spark off the bench, scoring a career-best 14 points. Junior Blake Krum (Schoolcraft) and sophomore Eddie Rogers (Saginaw/Carrollton) finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Junior Jordan Union (Jackson) scored 10 points and dished out eight assists.

The Hornets were led by duo of Mark Ghafari and Adam Peters. Gharfari led all scorers with 30 points, while Peters had 27 points and 11 rebounds.

The Comets will host Alma College next Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m.