Men’s Basketball: Olivet falls to Ohio Northern, 66-50

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The University of Olivet men's basketball team came up short against Ohio Northern University, 66-50, tonight at the 2023 Cruzin' Classic, hosted by Barry University and at the Health & Sports Center.

• Final Score: Ohio Northern 66, Olivet 50
• Location: Health & Sports Center; Miami Gardens, Florida
• Records: Olivet 2-7 overall, Ohio Northern 5-6 overall

• The first half was a back-and-forth, as there were six tied scores and seven lead changes. After the third tied score at 18-18, Olivet went on a 9-0 run to go up 27-18 with 2:41 left until halftime. The teams traded baskets to create a 29-21 score. The Polar Bears ended the half by scoring eight unanswered points to even the score, 29-29, at halftime. Olivet and Ohio Northern exchanged jump shots to start the second half and make the score 31-31. The Polar Bears made the next two baskets, and they did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.

• Senior Ryan Bart led Olivet with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range. He also grabbed a team-leading six rebounds.
• Freshman Conner Schipper also added 12 points.

• "The effort, especially with the way we shot the ball again, was solid and much better today than yesterday," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "We got better today in some areas. Obviously the glaring problem is still there, and we beat ourselves with some unforced turnovers, but we felt much better about today's effort."

• The Comets are back on the court Friday and Saturday, December 29-30, at the St. Norbert College Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament. Olivet plays the host Green Knights in its first game on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. The other first round game features University of Wisconsin-Superior against University of Dubuque (Iowa). On Saturday, the losers play each other in the consolation game, starting at 6 p.m. ET, and the winners square off in the championship game, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.