Seniors lead men’s basketball team to a thrilling 81-79 win over Albion

OLIVET, Mich. – Down 11 points in the second half, the Olivet College men's basketball team rallied to beat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College, 81-79, tonight at the Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

• Final Score: Olivet 81, Albion 79
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 10-14 overall, 6-7 MIAA; Albion 7-17 overall, 4-9 MIAA

• The first half was back-and-forth, as neither team had a lead of more than four points. There were five tied scores and eight lead changes. The Britons took a 36-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
• Early in the second half, Albion pushed its lead to 11 points twice, 50-39 at the 16:18 mark and 52-41 at the 15:30 mark. The Comets chipped away at their deficit and went ahead 59-58 when sophomore Lorris Upshaw made a free throw to complete a three-point play.
• After that point, there were seven tied scores and nine lead changes. Following the 12th tied score of the game at 73-73, senior Ryan Robinette drained a three-pointer to put the Comets ahead for good. The Britons closed the gap to one point twice, but Olivet answered both times by making both free throws. Albion made the score 80-79 with 1:02 left. After the Comets split two free throws, the Britons' final shot was off the mark and Robinette grabbed the defensive rebound.
• For the game, Albion made five more baskets and shot a higher field goal percentage. The difference in the game was Olivet had six more three-pointers and made 19 free throws compared to 13 for the Britons.

• Five players reached double figures in the scoring column.
• Robinette led the way with 19 points.
• Senior Noah Wiswary finished with 13 points, including three treys in the second half.
• Upshaw and senior Tevin Ali each had 11 points.
• Senior Dane Vos scored 10 points, grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds, and blocked three shots.
• Senior Josh DuFore made his first collegiate start and tallied nine points.

• "First want to thank the crowd, our students make it such a great home atmosphere to play in," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "Obviously winning a game like that is so memorable on senior night.  So much credit to Albion and the way they played. We were worried especially with Haidyn (Garrison) being out that their bigs were going to be a handful, and of course they were. 
• "I just loved the mental toughness we showed when we got down double digits in the early part of the second half.  We kept pecking away and didn't give up. 
• It was a total team effort, starting with Josh (DuFore). He played 27 minutes, and we needed every one of them.  He's a kid who comes to practice every day with a great attitude, ready to work, and never complains about anything.  He's improved so much since he's gotten here.  I love it when things work out like they did tonight where he gets rewarded with important minutes for his hard work. 
• Dane Vos played a nice overall game tonight too. There is nothing like the urgency a senior feels when its coming down to the end.  You really want to make the most of every moment.  Hopefully we can keep this thing going a while longer."

• Ken Thomas posted a double-double, 29 points and 11 rebounds.
• Jonathan Armstead-Wilkerson and AJ Barden each netted 12 points.
• Khy Winston added 10 points.

• The Comets wrap-up the regular season part of their schedule Saturday when they travel to play Alma College. Tip-off from Art Smith Arena is 3 p.m. With the win tonight, Olivet has secured the No. 4 seed in the 2023 MIAA Tournament. Official pairings and game times for the tournament will be announced Saturday night.