Women’s basketball team loses to North Park, 57-47

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College women's basketball team let a second-half lead slip away, as the North Park (Ill.) University outscored the Comets, 23-11, in the fourth quarter for a 57-47 win this afternoon at the Cutler Event Center.

• Final Score: North Park 57, Olivet 47
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 1-4 overall, North Park 3-3 overall

• Olivet had a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Vikings opened the second quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 19-16 lead at the 2:56 mark. The Comets scored the final five points of the period to lead by two, 21-19, at halftime.
• In the third quarter, Olivet stretched its lead to as many as eight points, 33-25, with 5:34 left. North Park chipped away at its deficit to close the gap to two points twice, with the last time being 36-34, at the end of the stanza.
• The Vikings opened the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run to make the score 46-36 at the 3:43 mark. The closest the Comets would get the rest of the game was eight points on three occasions. The last time was 49-41.

• Junior Lily Connelly scored a team-best 12 points and had four assists and five steals.
• Senior Rachel Swartz added 10 points.
• Swartz and sophomore Courtney Balazs pulled down nine rebounds apiece.

• Esther Miller tallied a game-high 14 points and five assists.
• Kathryn Keehn came off the bench to score 10 points.
• Victoria Perry grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds.

• The Comets open Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play Wednesday night when they host Kalamazoo College. Tip-off from inside the Cutler Event Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.