Oleksyn makes winning free throw as women’s basketball rallies to beat Alma, 66-65

OLIVET, Mich. -- Senior Kaitlin Oleksyn (Kalamazoo/Parchment) made the game-winning free throw with 12.1 seconds left, as the Olivet College women's basketball team rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to beat Alma College, 66-65, tonight in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet.

Alma led by as many as nine points in the first half, 27-18, at the 1:32 mark. The Comets scored the final six points of the half to trail by just three points, 27-24, at intermission. After senior Caitlin Thilo (Onondaga/Eaton Rapids) tied the game with a three-pointer on Olivet's first possession of the second half, the Scots went on a 17-5 run to take their 12-point lead, 44-32, with 14:54 left in the game.

The Comets fought back and made it a three-point game, 54-51, with just under eight minutes remaining. Alma scored four points to stretch its lead back out to seven points, 58-51. Olivet then scored eight consecutive points to take its first lead since the 16:17 mark of the first half. After the Comets extended their lead to four points, Brittany Deerfield drained a 3-pointer for the Scots.

With 32.5 seconds left, junior Debbie Nikodemski (Rockford) split a pair of free throws to make the score 65-63. Alma tied the game at 65-65 on a Sarah Stinson layup with 24.7 seconds remaining. Oleksyn was fouled with 12.1 seconds left, and she made 1-of-2 free throws. Following an Olivet timeout, Oleksyn knocked the ball loose at midcourt with about six seconds left to seal the come-from-behind win.

For the game, Olivet shot slightly better from the floor, making 23-of-53 shots (43.4 percent) to 27-of-64 (42.2 percent) for the Scots. Each team made five baskets from behind the arc, while the Comets made nine more free throws. Olivet also out-rebounded Alma, 46-31.

The Comets had four players reach double figures in the scoring column, led by Nikodemski's 14 points. Senior Tiffany Thelen (Lansing/Waverly) played 14 minutes off the bench and scored a career-high 13 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Thilo finished with 12, while junior Alysia Cole (Roseville) posted her second straight double-double with 10 points and game-high 14 rebounds.

The Scots were led Sydney Beckwith, who had team-highs in points (10), rebounds (8) and steals (5). Stinson, Brittany Deerfield and Jessica DeBruin each scored eight points.

Olivet will host Adrian College Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., as part of Comet basketball doubleheader. The Olivet men host Kalamazoo College at 7:30 p.m.