Women’s basketball team hangs on to beat Alma, 80-67
The Olivet College women’s basketball team built a 22-point halftime lead and hung on to beat MIAA rival Alma College 80-67 tonight at the Art Smith Arena in Alma.
ALMA, Mich. – The Olivet College women's basketball team built a 22-point halftime lead and hung on to beat Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) rival Alma College 80-67 tonight at the Art Smith Arena in Alma.
Alma scored the first points of the game before Olivet went on a 14-2 run to take its own six-point lead. The Comets eventually led by as many as 23 points, 43-20, with 1:55 left until halftime. Olivet settled for a 49-27 lead at the break. In the first half, the Comets shot 66.7 percent (20-of-30), including 6-of-9 shooting from behind the arc, while the Scots were 8-of-30 (26.7 percent).
Alma opened the second half with a 20-4 run to cut its deficit down to six points, 53-47, at the 11:08 mark. The Scots would get as close as five points, 60-55, with five minutes left. Olivet then went on a 7-0 run to extend its lead back to double figures, 67-55, at the 2:37 mark. The Comets made 13-of-16 free throws in the final 2:37 to seal their victory.
Overall for the game, Olivet shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56) to 33.8 percent (24-of-71) for Alma. The Comets also made three more 3-pointers (6-3) and six more free throws (22-16) than the Scots. Olivet gained 11 steals off 16 Alma turnovers.
The Comets had three starters reach double figures in the scoring column, led by sophomore Heather Lauwers' (Ortonville/Brandon) career-high 16. Junior SoQuitta DeShazor (Flint/Hamady) finished with 15 points. Sophomore Kelsey Campbell (Olivet) had 14 points to go along with eight assists. Junior Mellissa Bageris (Milford) came off the bench to score 13, while sophomore Lindsey Winters (Plymouth/Canton) had a career-best six points. DeShazor and junior Sydney Radde (Stevensville/Lakeshore) shared team-high honors with eight rebounds apiece.
Brittney Deerfield and Danielle Hicks each scored 15 to lead the Scots. Hicks also grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds, including 10 off the offensive glass.
The Comets (4-13, 2-6 MIAA) will begin the second half of its MIAA schedule Saturday when it travels to play Trine (Ind.) University at 3 p.m.
