Men’s basketball team defeated by Trine, 73-52

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team lost 73-52 to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Trine University this afternoon inside the Cutler Event Center.

• Final Score: Trine 73, Olivet 52
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 8-11 overall, 4-4 MIAA; Trine 17-2 overall, 7-1 MIAA

• The Comets built a six-point lead, 8-2, in the first five minutes of the game. The Thunder responded with 10 consecutive points over a two and one-half minute span to go ahead 12-8. Olivet answered with a 14-6 run for its own four-point advantage, 22-18. The Comets extended their lead to five points twice. After the last time at 27-22 with 4:52 left until halftime, Trine used a 10-3 spurt to take a 32-30 lead. Olivet scored the last basket of the half to make the score 32-32 at the intermission.
• There were five tied scores in the first seven minutes of the second half. Following the last one at 43-43 at the 13:04 mark, the Thunder put 11 unanswered points on the scoreboard. The Comets made the next basket, but they would not get any closer for the rest of the game.

• Junior Ryan Bart led Olivet with 11 points.
• Senior Tevin Ali was next with 10 points. He also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
• Freshman Haidyn Garrison and senior Derrick Johnson each scored eight points.

• "When Haidyn got in foul trouble early in the second half that was a big blow," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "Trine's guards are so much bigger and longer than ours. We need Tevin and Haidyn in there for rim protection, and offensive options. They just wore us down when we had to go smaller. It was a four-to-five-minute stretch where they took the game over. Obviously, our turnovers, the un-forced ones, are still a major problem for us. That's been our biggest problem all year. We'll continue to work on that and see if we can learn how to pass the basketball better."

• Brent Cox led all scorers with 22 points.
• Ryan Preston contributed 10 points.
• Nate Carbaugh pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds.

• Olivet is on the road to play Adrian College next Wednesday, February 1. Tip-off from the Merillat Center is 7:30 p.m.