Seniors lead UOlivet to 85-69 win over Alma in regular season finale

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet men's basketball seniors started the game and combined to score 39 points to lead the Comets to an 85-69 win over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Alma College tonight on Hathaway Court and inside the Cutler Event Center.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Olivet 85, Alma 69
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 10-15 overall, 8-6 MIAA; Alma 1-24 overall, 1-13 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The four Comet seniors – Nolan Finkbeiner, Kyle Griffith, Jake Watkins and Mason Wichman – started the game alongside sophomore Conner Schipper. The four seniors helped Olivet jump out to a 16-11 lead before the first stoppage in play at the 12:53 mark. The Scots closed the gap to a single point on two occasions, 19-18 and 22-21. The Comets ended the half with a 16-4 run to take a 38-25 into the locker rooms at intermission.
• Olivet extended its lead to 17 points, 50-33, with 14:55 left in the game. Alma scored 10 straight points to cut its deficit down to seven points. The Comets responded with a 14-0 burst, including three-pointers by three of the seniors, to gain their largest lead of the game, 64-43. The closest the Scots got the rest of the game was 15 points.

FOR THE COMETS

• Finkbeiner scored a career-best 19 points, including five baskets from behind the arc.
• Sophomore Nathan Richardson added 13 points.
• Schipper contributed nine points and nine rebounds.
• Freshman Porter Kretschman also netted nine points.
• Wichman and sophomore Aden Hathaway each tallied eight points.
• Watkins had six points and six assists, while committing only one turnover in 21 minutes.

UP NEXT

• Olivet will host a first-round game of the 2025 MIAA Tournament next Wednesday, February 26. The official bracket, with opponents and games times will be released by the MIAA tomorrow morning.