Men's basketball team overcomes 14-point deficit to beat Alma, 81-65
The Olivet College men’s basketball team overcame a 14-point first half deficit to defeat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Alma College, 81-65, tonight at the Upton Center. The Fighting Comets have now won nine of their last 10 games and remain on top of the league standings with a perfect 3-0 record.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
37 | 28 | 65 |
|
|
35 | 46 | 81 |
Team Stats
Alma
| Game Statistics | Alma | Olivet |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-54) | (26-59) |
| Field Goal % | 44.4% | 44.1% |
| Rebounds | 37 | 29 |
| Assists | 11 | 22 |
| Turnovers | 24 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 26 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 25 | 23 |
The Olivet College men's basketball team overcame a 14-point first half deficit to defeat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Alma College, 81-65, tonight at the Upton Center. The Fighting Comets have now won nine of their last 10 games and remain on top of the league standings with a perfect 3-0 record.
Following a 12-12 tie with 12:45 left in the opening half, the Scots (2-12, 0-3 MIAA) used a 23-9 run to take their 14-point lead. Olivet (9-5, 3-0 MIAA) cut the deficit to two points at halftime, 37-35, with its own 14-2 run. Junior forward Ronnie Pearson (Holly High School) nailed two three-pointers and sophomore forward De'Andre Pruitt (River Rouge High School) made two free throws to give the Comets a 43-37 lead at the 16:41 mark of the second half.
Alma fought back and tied the game four times over the next four minutes. After the last tie (54-54), sophomore Steve Johnson (Detroit/Murray Wright High School) put Olivet ahead with layup and the Comets never trailed for the rest of the game. Olivet's biggest lead in the second half was 17 points.
In the game, the Comets made 26-of-59 shots from the floor, including 12-of-24 from three-point range. The Scots won the rebounding battle, 37-29, but Olivet had only 11 turnovers to 24 by Alma.
Pruitt led the Comets with a game-high 22 points and eight steals. Sophomore center Derek Cox (Niles High School) contributed 14 points and a team-best six rebounds. Junior back-up guard Richard Britton (Olivet High School) provided a spark of the bench with 12 points on four-of-six shooting from behind the arc.
"I am proud of the way that the guys played tonight," said Head Coach Steve Hettinga. "They stayed positive even when we were down, and did a great job grinding out a win."
Olivet will next be in action on Saturday, Jan. 17 when it travels to Grand Rapids to play Calvin College. Tip-off from the Calvin Fieldhouse is 3 p.m.
Anthony Jones scored 15 points to lead the Scots, followed by Brian Hall with 10 points. Isaac Smith topped the team with six rebounds.