Long’s last-second layup lifts men’s basketball team past Alma, 91-89

OLIVET, Mich. – Junior Jared Long made a layup with 0.3 seconds left to lift the Olivet College men's basketball team past Alma College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest, 91-89, tonight at the Upton Center Gymnasium.

Final Score: Olivet 91, Alma 89
Location: Upton Center Gymnasium; Olivet, Michigan
Records: Alma 7-8 overall, 1-3 MIAA; Olivet 4-11 overall, 1-3 MIAA

• In the first half, the Comets built a nine-point lead, 13-9. The Scots chipped away at their deficit and tied the game twice. After the last time at 18-18, Olivet went on a 12-2 run to gain a 10-point advantage. Alma battled back to trim the Comet lead down to four points, 30-26. The Comets used another big run, 10-2, to take their largest lead of the game, 40-28.
• The Scots responded with nine straight points to make the score 40-37 with 26 seconds remaining until halftime. Long split two free throws. After missing the second, an Alma player grabbed the rebound but Long stole his outlet pass in the backcourt and then buried a three-pointer from the left baseline to put the Comets ahead by seven points, 44-37, at the break.
• In the second half, the Scots battled back and took their first lead in the game, 54-52. The teams traded baskets to create two more tied scores at 54-54 and 56-56. Alma made a jumper and two free throws to go ahead 60-56. A three-pointer by freshman Noah Wiswary and jump shot by junior Delbert Redfield gave the lead back to the Comets.
• A 14-5 run helped the Scots take their largest lead in the game, 74-66, with 8:11 remaining. Over the next two minutes and three seconds, the Comets had a 9-1 spurt to tie the game. Alma went ahead on a three-pointer but freshman Britton Angell answered with a triple to tie the game. After another tied score at 80-all, the Scots canned four free throws for an 84-80 lead.
• Olivet leveled the score on a jump shot and two free throws by junior Eddie Thigpen. An "old-fashioned" three-point play (free throw after a made basket) gave the lead back to the Scots with 95 seconds left. Thigpen drained a step-back three-pointer to tie the game.
• With under a minute left in the game, Alma missed a shot and Thigpen grabbed the rebound. With the shot clock winding down, junior Shawn Pardee drained a jumper for an 89-87 Comet lead. Alma tied the score for the 11th time on a basket by Cole Kleiver with six seconds left. Wiswary found Long open under the basket and his layup swished through the net with 0.3 seconds remaining.  
• For the game, Alma and Olivet shot nearly identical field goal percentages – 48.0 (36-of-75) for Alma to 48.5 (32-of-66) for Olivet. The difference in the game was the Comets made more shots and shot a higher percentage from behind the three-point arc (11-of-30, 36.7 to 5-off-22, 22.7). Olivet also canned four more free throws, 16 to 12. Both teams grabbed 38 total rebounds.

• Pardee finished with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor.
• Angell and Thigpen joined him double figures with 17 points apiece.
• Wiswary added 10 points.
• Pardee and Wiswary each pulled down eight rebounds.
• Junior Chris Martin dished out eight assists.

• Zach Sinke came off the bench to score 28 points and grab seven rebounds.
• Kleiver contributed 26 points.
• Ryan Stevens and Kyle Woodruff had 16 and 11 points, respectively.

• The Comets are on the road next Wednesday, Jan. 22, to play Trine (Ind.) University. Tip-off from the MTI Center in Angola is 7:30 p.m.