UOlivet loses 55-53 to Albion

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet women's basketball suffered a narrow 55-53 loss to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Albion College on Hathaway Court tonight at the Cutler Event Center.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Albion 55, Olivet 53
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 4-10 overall, 1-4 MIAA; Albion 5-9 overall, 3-2 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Britons jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. Albion led 7-2 at the 6:07 mark. Olivet scored the final five points of the quarter to even the score at 7-7.
• In the second quarter, there were five tied scores. Each time the Comets took a lead of three or more points, the Britons fought back to level the score. Olivet had its largest lead of the quarter at 19-15 with 3:47 left until halftime. Albion made two free throws and a layup to tie the game. The Comets made their first three-pointer of the game to go up 22-19 but the Britons answered with their first triple to make the score 22-22 at halftime.
• Olivet led by four points, 30-26, at the 7:26 mark of the third quarter. The Britons quickly leveled the score. From there, neither team had a lead larger than three points. Albion seized a three-point lead, 38-35, before the Comets scored the last five points of the quarter to take a 40-38 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
• Olivet's run continued at the start of the fourth quarter to push its lead to seven points, 45-38. The Britons chipped away at their deficit before taking a four-point lead, 51-47, with 3:37 left. The Comets cut the deficit to a point with a three-pointer. Albion went back up by four points in the final 17 seconds of the game.
• An Olivet layup made the score 54-52. The Britons pushed their lead back to three with a free throw. After the Comets missed a tying three-pointer, there was chaos with the rebound attempt. The referees called two technical fouls on Albion and one on Olivet. Since there was one less technical foul on the Comets, they shot two free throws. Olivet made one of its attempts and was given possession of the ball with 3.6 seconds left. A last-second shot was off the mark.
• For the game, the Comets were 20-of-63 (31.7 percent) compared to 21-of-61 (34.4 percent) for the Britons. Olivet made one three-pointer (four to three), while Albion made one more free throw (10 to nine). The Britons had four less turnovers, 19 to 15.

FOR THE COMETS

• Sophomore Kaylee Bush topped Olivet with 18 points.
• Senior Lily Connelly tallied 15 points to go along with a team-best seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Sophomore Anna Honnen also grabbed seven rebounds.

UP NEXT

• Olivet is back in action next Wednesday, January 15, when it hosts Saint Mary's (Ind.) College in the first game of a basketball doubleheader inside the Cutler Event Center. The women's game tips-off at 6 p.m., followed by the Comet men against Albion at approximately 8 p.m.