Men's basketball team falls to Notre Dame of Ohio, 79-70, in first round of 2008 Gary Morrison Tournament

The Olivet College men's basketball team fell to Notre Dame College of Ohio, 79-70, tonight in the first round of the 2008 O.C. Gary Morrison Tournament. With the loss, Olivet will play Andrews University in the consolation game tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. Andrews was defeated by Concordia University, 62-54, in the other first round game.

The Comets led for most of the first half with their biggest lead being seven points, 30-23, with 6:34 left when freshman Randy Jenkins (Cleveland, Ohio/Treasure Coast) knocked down a three-pointer. The Falcons came back and took their first lead of the half, 37-36, with 37 seconds remaining before halftime. They added to their lead with a layup at the buzzer to take a 39-36 lead into the locker rooms.

Olivet grabbed the lead back, 47-45, with 15 minutes left in the game. From there, Notre Dame scored 14 of the next 16 points to take a double digit lead, 59-49, at the 9:50 mark. The Comets trimmed their deficit down to six points in the final 1:15 of the game, but they would not get any closer.

Despite the loss, Olivet received double-doubles from brothers Brandon and Michael McClary (Bellaire). Michael scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds (10 off the offensive glass), while Brandon had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Andre Evans (Muskegon/Muskegon Heights) was an assist shy of a double-double, as he scored 12 points and dished out nine assists.

The Falcons were led by Dan Jones with a game-high 24 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Eric Dummermuth and Karim McFarlane each had seven rebounds and scored 21 and 16 points, respectively.

After tomorrow's game, Olivet will travel to play Ferris State University Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m.