Men’s Basketball: Olivet upsets No. 2 Trine, 87-75

OLIVET, Mich. – The University of Olivet men's basketball team earned an 87-75 upset victory over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) leader Trine (Ind.) University on Senior Day at the Cutler Event Center. The Thunder entered the game ranked No. 2 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.

• Final Score: Olivet 87, No. 2 Trine 75
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 4-19 overall, 2-10 MIAA; Trine 21-2 overall, 11-1 MIAA

• The Comets jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind a three-pointer by senior Noah Wiswary and two free throws by freshman Conner Schipper. Trine came back with a 10-4 spurt to take its first lead of the game. Olivet went back on top after senior Ryan Bart made two free throws. The Thunder responded with six straight points to take its largest lead of the game, 16-11, at the 11:03 mark. The Comets answered with a 10-2 run for a 21-19 lead with 7:44 left until halftime.
• After Trine made a three-pointer, Bart canned a three-pointer and Wiswary made a put-back basket to put Olivet ahead by four points, 26-22. The Thunder retaliated with a 10-2 spurt to gain its own four-point lead, 32-28, at the 3:44 mark. A 7-2 spurt handed the lead back to the Comets, 35-34. Trine went ahead on a layup before another Bart triple put Olivet ahead 38-36.
• The Thunder used two free throws to tie the game for the sixth time. Junior Nolan Finkbeiner drained a three-pointer to make the score 41-38. Two more Trine free throws in the final seconds of the half made the score 41-40 at the break.
• The Comets made the first two baskets of the second half to go ahead, 45-40. The Thunder answered with an 8-3 run to even the score for the last time at 48-48 with 16:56 remaining in the game. Olivet scored the next five points on a layup by freshman Brayden Wine and old-fashioned three-point play by freshman Aden Hathaway. Trine scored the next basket, but it did not get closer for the rest of the game.
• The Comets' lead grew to as many as 16 points on two occasions, 75-59 and 77-61. Trine was able to get its deficit down to seven points in the final minute, but Olivet made 5-of-6 free throws to seal the win.
• For the game, the Comets posted a 59.6 field goal percentage (31-of-52) compared to 40.9 percent (27-of-66- for the Thunder. Olivet also made five more three-pointers, 9 to 4, and out-rebounded them, 32 to 29.

• Five Olivet players reached double figures in the scoring column.
• Bart came off the bench to match his career-high with 22 points.
• Wiswary tallied 17 points to go along with recording a game-high eight assists.
• Finkbeiner finished with 13 points.
• Freshman Conner Schipper played only 16 minutes but finished with a double-double, 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Freshman Donte Work added a season-high 10 points.

• "I've said it all league season, I'm so proud of the fight and chemistry of these guys," said Olivet head coach Sam Hargraves. "They keep coming back to work every day with a great attitude. They keep believing. We've been waiting a long time to have a game where we make some good open shots. It finally happened tonight. We felt from the start of the year if we can create ways to get open, we'll be able to make baskets at a decent clip. It just hasn't happened.
• "Then we have the added challenge tonight of being able to pass the ball well enough against Trine's tenacious defense. We were aggressive with our passing and body movement. That's the only way we have a chance versus them. We just must survive enough passes and possessions to find that open guy. We still had more turnovers than we liked but the assist numbers were there too, which usually means we were aggressive.
• "For this to happen on our senior day is so special. Everything those five have gone through in trying to create a sustainable culture hasn't been easy. But they didn't quit. They kept working. I'm so happy for them. We've played much better than our record this year. Hopefully we can continue to build some momentum until we're done with opportunities."

• Olivet closes out the 2023-24 season next with a pair of road games. On Wednesday, the Comets play Hope College at 8 p.m., and on Saturday, they face Alma College at 3 p.m.