Men’s basketball team stunned by Calvin at buzzer, 75-74

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team was stunned by Calvin University, 75-74, at the buzzer in a non-conference contest this evening at Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids.

Final Score: Calvin 75, Olivet 74
Location: Van Noord Arena; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Records: Calvin 2-0 overall, Olivet 0-5 overall

• The first four minutes of the game were back-and-forth, as neither team led by more than a single possession. After an 8-8 deadlock, the Knights went on a 12-2 run for a 20-10 lead with 11:35 left until halftime. Calvin then pushed its advantage to 12 points three times, with the last time being 35-23.
• The Comets trimmed their deficit down to five points, 39-34, at the 1:11 mark. The Knights scored the last two points of the half to take a 41-34 lead at the intermission.
• In the second half, Olivet closed the gap to three points, 48-45, after senior Eddie Thigpen drained a three-pointer at the 16:26 mark. The Knights went on a 4-0 run to go up by seven points, 52-45.
• The Comets chipped away at their deficit and eventually took a three-point lead, 66-63, when junior Derrick Johnson nailed a deep three-pointer. The Knights came back with a 4-0 spurt to regain the lead before a basket put the Comets back on top. Calvin made a free throw to level the score at 68-68 with 4:55 left.
• Olivet went on a 4-1 run to go ahead 72-69 with three minutes remaining. There was no scoring for almost two minutes until a Knight free throw at the 1:08 mark. A Thigpen layup put the Comets ahead 74-70. Calvin scored a basket with 13 seconds showing on the clock.
• The Knights were forced foul, but Olivet missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw chance with 8.7 seconds left. Calvin gathered the defensive rebound and brought the ball up the court. Uchenna Egekeze launched a last-second three-pointer, which went thru the basket as the horn sounded.

• Thigpen and sophomore Britton Angell finished with 14 points a piece.
• Johnson added 10 points.
• Four players – Angell, Thipgen and juniors Ryan Robinette and Dre Tuominen – grabbed five rebounds apiece.
• Johnson also had five assists.

• Thad Shymanski was one of four players to reach double figures in the scoring column, as he netted a game-high 16 points.
• Egekeze was next with 15 points, followed by Jordan Katje and Emmett Warners with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• Katje grabbed 13 rebounds.

• "I couldn't be more proud of our second-half toughness tonight," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "We still have a long ways to go as far as knowing each other, and decision making on both sides of the ball but tonight was certainly a nice step in the right direction."

• The Comets stay on the road to play Saturday at Trine (Ind.) University. Tip-off at the MTI Center in Angola, Indiana, is scheduled for 3 p.m.