Men’s Basketball: Olivet opens MIAA play with 72-67 loss to Hope

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet men's basketball team began Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play with a tough 72-67 setback to Hope College tonight at the Cutler Event Center.

• Final Score: Hope 72, Olivet 67
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 2-10 overall, 0-1 MIAA; Hope 9-3 overall, 1-0 MIAA

• In the first half, the Comets led by as many as nine points, 28-19, at the 5:15 mark after junior Nolan Finkbeiner drained a three-pointer. The teams traded baskets to create another nine-point cushion, 32-23, with 3:31 left until halftime. The Flying Dutchmen scored the final 11 points of the half to go up 34-32 at the intermission.
• Hope stretched its lead to nine points, 56-47, around the midpoint of the second half. Olivet used back-to-back three-pointers by seniors Ryan Bart and Drew Weber to close the gap to three points, 58-55. The Flying Dutchmen scored a tip-in basket before two free throws by freshman Nathan Richardson made the score 60-57 at the 4:31 mark. Hope scored seven of the next nine points to go up by eight points, 67-59.
• Two Comet triples were sandwiched around a Hope layup caused a 69-65 score with 1:23 remaining in the game. The Flying Dutchmen split two free throws before a Richardson layup cut Olivet's deficit to three points. Hope sealed the win by making two free throws with 1.2 seconds left.
• For the game, the Comets shot a slightly higher field goal percentage, 41.1 (23-of-56) to 39.4 (26-of-66). Olivet drained eight more three-pointers, 12 to 4. The difference was the Flying Dutchmen were 16-of-21 from the free throw line, while the Comets were 9-of-10. Hope also had a 41-33 edge in rebounds.

• Richardson led all players with 18 points and four assists.
• Finkbeiner scored a career-high 17 points, including 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.
• Weber added 13 points. He also collected seven steals, which is tied for the second-most in a game since the 2002-03 season.
• Freshman Conner Schipper grabbed a team-leading 10 rebounds.

• "We have a lot of good things to take away from this one," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "We really feel like we've been building momentum. Tonight, we got the ball to go in more which always helps. Still a couple unforced turnovers, and maybe lost our focus on trying to keep them off the offensive glass a time or two. Overall, the defensive effort and toughness was solid. We've got to continue to find ways to put the ball more consistently in the basket."

• Olivet is on the road Saturday to play Trine (Ind.) University. Tip-off from the MTI Center in Angola, Indiana, is scheduled for 3 p.m.