Women’s basketball team rallies to beat Trine, 53-43

The Olivet College women's basketball team closed the first half its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) schedule with a 53-43 come-from-behind victory over Trine (Ind.) University tonight at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet. With the win, the Comets are fourth-place in the MIAA standings with a 4-4 MIAA record.

The Thunder led by as many as 10 points, 17-7, in the first half. Olivet battled back with a 13-4 scoring spurt to trim its deficit to one point with 4:22 left before halftime. Trine closed the half with a 5-0 run to take a 26-20 lead into the locker rooms. The Thunder extended their lead to nine points on a three-pointer to start the second half.

Olivet answered with a 15-2 run to take their first lead, 35-31, since the 18:30 mark of the first half. Trine scored seven straight points to regain the lead. The Thunder would lead for the last time at the 3:47 mark. The Comets took the lead for good on a three-pointer by junior Kaitlin Oleksyn (Kalamazoo/Parchment) with 3:30 left in the game.

The next trip down the court, junior Stephanie Spehar (South Lyon) drained a three-pointer to put Olivet up by five points, 48-43. The Comets put the game away when senior Gabrielle Federau (Okemos) made a free throw to complete a three-point play with 30 seconds left. A layup by sophomore Olivia Yarrell (Lansing/Sexton) created the 10-point final margin of victory.

Neither team shot the ball well, 32.8 percent for the Comets to 34.1 percent for Trine. Turnovers were nearly equal, 21 to 20. The difference in the game was rebounding, where Olivet out-rebounded the Thunder, 51-25, including a 24-6 edge on the offensive glass.

Yarrell led all scorers with 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Federau added eight points and seven rebounds to move into fourth-place all-time at Olivet with 590 rebounds. Oleksyn and Spehar each scored six points, while Spehar grabbed a season-high nine rebounds.

Liz Gehrig topped Trine with 13 points. Danielle Senf joined her in double figures with 10. Kristen Julian pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

The Comets will travel to Grand Rapids to play Calvin College Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.