Men’s basketball team rallies but loses to Adrian, 98-83

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball cut a 20-point second-half deficit down to only four points before falling to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Adrian College, 98-83, tonight at the Cutler Event Center.

Final Score: Adrian 98, Olivet 83
Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
Records: Adrian 4-16 overall, 3-6 MIAA; Olivet 5-14 overall, 2-6 MIAA

• In the first half, the Bulldogs built a 13-point lead twice. After the last time at 23-10, the Comets used a 12-5 run to close the gap to six points, 28-22. Adrian answered with a 9-2 spurt to push its lead back to 13 points, 37-24, at the 6:21 mark. The Bulldogs maintained the double digit for the remainder of the half and led 47-33 at the break.
• Four minutes and 35 seconds into the second half, Adrian took a 20-point lead at 65-45. The Comets chipped away at their deficit and trailed by just four points, 74-70, after senior Ryan Robinette made a layup with 7:57 left in the game. Olivet would not get any closer for the rest of the contest.

• Junior Tevin Ali posted a double-double, 20 points and 11 rebounds, to lead Olivet.
• Robinette and senior Eddie Thigpen each scored 16 points.
• Senior Chris Martin added 10 points.

• "Tonight's game was a tale of two halves," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "We couldn't get out of our own way for the first 20 minutes and played pretty well the second 20 minutes. Now we've got to figure out why that first half happened the way it did." 

• Four starters reached double figures in the scoring column.
• Andrew Larson and Connor Pelham each netted 21 points.
• De'ovion Price contributed 19 points.
• Kendall Chrismon tallied 11 points.
• Larson grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds.
• Jalen Paul dished out 10 assists.

• The Comets host Calvin University Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. The game is a part of a basketball doubleheader against the Knights, as the Olivet women also play Calvin prior to the men's game at 1 p.m.