Men’s basketball team defeated by Ohio Northern 78-59

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – With only half ot its top eight players dressed for the game, the Olivet College men's basketball team was defeated by Ohio Northern University, 78-59, in the second day of the Otterbein (Ohio) University Smokey Ballenger Classic and inside the Rike Center.

Final Score: Otterbein 78, Olivet 59
Location: Rike Center; Westerville, Ohio
Records: Ohio Northern 7-3 overall, Olivet 3-7 overall

• The Polar Bears led 5-4 before they went on an 11-2 run to gain their first double digit lead of the game. The Comets answered with a 5-0 spurt to trim their deficit in half, 16-11, at the 13:41 mark. After Olivet closed the gap to five points one more time, the Polar Bears extended their lead to 19 points, 38-19. The Comets made the score 40-28 before Ohio Northern scored the final five points of the half to lead 45-28 at the break.
• Olivet did not get any closer for the rest of the game, as the Polar Bears led by as many as 25 points, 75-50 with 1:23 left in the game.

• Freshman Lorris Upshaw shared game-high honors with 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting.
• Senior Tevin Ali added 11 points.
• Senior Dane Vos finished with 10 points.
• Senior Logan Guenther netted six points.
• Freshman Patrick Hollis grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
• Junior Noah Wisway dished out six assists.

• "I thought we started out a little flat tonight, and Ohio Northern shot really, really well," said Olivet head men's basketball coach Sam Hargraves. "But after a while, we settled in and played pretty tough and pretty hard, especially in the second half. We just could not make a run and make enough shots to really get back into it. Overall, I like the way we executed."

• CJ Napier scored 19 points.
• Brandon Waugh posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists, three steals and two blocks.
• Ethan Bell contributed 11 points.

• Olivet plays its final non-conference game Sunday, December 30, when it hosts Capital (Ohio) University. Tip-off at the Cutler Event Center is 1 p.m.