Men's basketball team loses to Adrian, 85-68

The Olivet College men's basketball team let a 36-34 halftime lead slip away as Adrian College defeated the Fighting Comets, 85-68, tonight at the Merillat Center.

In the first half, Olivet built a 15-10 lead at the 13:08 mark. The Bulldogs fought back and tied the game, 15-15. The Comets answered with a 6-2 run before Adrian again knotted the score, 21-21. The Bulldogs took their first lead, 31-29, since early in the game with 2:05 left. Olivet took a five-point lead with nine seconds left, but Adrian nailed a three-point shot at the halftime buzzer.

The Bulldogs started the second half with a 10-0 run to take a 44-36 lead, and never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game. The biggest Adrian lead was 22 points, 77-55, at the 4:08 mark.

Sophomore forward De'Andre Pruitt (River Rouge High School) led the Comets with 17 points, followed by junior forward Ronnie Pearson (Holly High School) with 11 points. Pearson also grabbed a team-best six rebounds.

Adam Novak scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Bulldogs. He made 11-of-16 shots from the floor. Billy Collins added 21 points on seven-of-13 shooting, including six-of-10 from three-point range.

Olivet is next in action on Saturday, Jan. 31 when it travels to play MIAA rival Albion College. Tip-off from Kresge Gymnasium is 3 p.m.