Men’s basketball team defeats Westminster, 87-77, at Russ DeVette Holiday Classic

HOLLAND, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team beat Westminster (Pa.) College, 87-77, this afternoon at the 2019 Hope College/Russ DeVette Holiday Classic, played at the DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland.

Final Score: Olivet 87, Westminster (Pa.) 77
Location: DeVos Fieldhouse; Holland, Michigan
Records: Westminster 7-5 overall, Olivet 2-8 overall

• In the first half, the Titans led by as many as eight points on two occasions. After the second time at 28-20, the Comets went on a 9-0 run for a 29-28 lead. Westminster answered with six straight points to go up 34-29. A layup and three-pointer by junior Shawn Pardee leveled the score with 2:19 left until halftime. The Titans put five of the next seven points on the scoreboard before a basket by freshman Noah Wisary made the score 39-38 at halftime.
• The Comets opened the second half by scoring the first six points to take a 44-39 lead, forcing Westminster to call a timeout. The Titans came back with a 9-2 scoring spurt to regain the lead 48-46.
• Olivet countered with a 12-2 run for an eight-point advantage, 58-50. The Comets maintained at least a five-point cushion for the rest of the game. Their largest lead was 12 points, 78-66, with 4:31 remaining in the contest.

• Pardee was one of four players to score in double figures, as he had a game-high 25 points. He also pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.
• Wiswary, and juniors Chris Martin and Eddie Thigpen each had 14 points.

• Josh Hutcherson finished with a team-best 19 points.
• Dylan O'Hara added 16 points.
• Blake Payne and Ricky Roth tallied 14 and 13 points, respectively.
• Payne grabbed a game-best 10 rebounds.

• Olivet plays its final game of the 2019 calendar year on New Year's Eve (Dec. 31) when it hosts Carthage (Wis.) College. Tip-off from the Cutler Event Center is 2 p.m.