Men’s basketball team lets halftime lead slip away in 69-67 loss to Wilmington in home-opener

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team let a halftime lead slip away, as Wilmington (Ohio) College rallied to beat the Comets, 69-67, at the Cutler Event Center in Olivet. It was the home-opener for Olivet after playing its first six games on the road.

Final Score: Wilmington (Ohio) 69, Olivet 67
Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
Records: Wilmington 4-6 overall, Olivet 1-6 overall

• The teams traded baskets to start the game. With the Quakers holding a 4-2 lead, Olivet went on a 12-0 run over the next four minutes and five seconds. Wilmington chipped away at its deficit and got as close as four points on three occasions. After the last time at 30-26, the Comets out-scored the Quakers, 10-4, to take a 40-30 halftime lead.
• Wilmington opened the second half of an 18-7 run to take a 48-47 lead at the 13:26 mark. After that, there were eight lead changes as neither team led by more than three points for the next 11 minutes of the game. The Quakers went ahead by four points, 69-65, with 1:07 left. A Comet basket cut the Wilmington lead to two points, 69-65, with 34 seconds remaining. The Quakers missed a three-pointer. Olivet grabbed the rebound but was unable to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

• For the game, Olivet shot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the floor, including 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from behind the arc.
• Junior Shawn Pardee led the Comets with 28 points, with 19 coming in the first half.
• Junior Colin Carter joined him in double figures with 15 points to go along with grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.
• Junior Jared Long and senior Keyon Rainey each scored seven points.
• Long dished out five assists.

• DaeShawn Jackson led Wilmington with 16 points.
• Abdul Kanu and Colin Myers each had 14 points.
• Kanu tallied a team-best six rebounds.

• Olivet hosts Anderson (Ind.) University Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.