Men’s basketball team lets lead slip away in 71-69 loss at Spring Arbor
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivet (2-4) | 45 | 24 | 69 |
| Spring Arbor (6-4) | 34 | 37 | 71 |
| Bockwitz Court; Spring Arbor, Mich. | |||
| Olivet | Spring Arbor |
|---|---|
| Pts: Garner Small - 22 | Pts: Bellamy, Chris - 23 |
| Reb: Garner Small - 7 | Reb: Bellamy, Chris - 8 |
| Ast: Blake Krum - 5 | Ast: Van Pelt, Matt - 7 |
| Team Statistics | Olivet | Spring Arbor |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 43.1% (25-58 ) | 48.0% (24-50 ) |
| Rebounds | 27 | 35 |
| Assists | 15 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 0 | 0 |
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team let a double digit lead slip away in a 71-69 loss to Spring Arbor University tonight at Bockwitz Court in Spring Arbor.
In the first half, the Comets gained a 31-19 lead at the 8:36 mark after freshman Eddie Rogers (Saginaw/Carrollton) made a free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play. The Cougars came back to trim their deficit down to five points, 33-28, before Olivet outscored them 12-6 in the final five minutes and 13 seconds of the half to take a 45-34 lead at the intermission.
Spring Arbor whittled the Comets' lead down to two points, 51-49, with 13:33 left in the game. Olivet responded with a 9-3 run to go back up by eight points, 60-52. From there, the Cougars went on an 11-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 63-62.
Sophomore Blake Krum (Schoolcraft) made two free throws to put the Comets back up by one, 64-63. Spring Arbor gained a three-point lead, 67-64, on a basket and two free throws. Sophomore Marquis Childers (Muskegon Heights) tied the game at 67-67 with a three-pointer with 1:31 left.
Rob Hogans gave the lead back to the Cougars with a basket. Olivet tied the game on two free throws by senior Dakotah Ellis (Birch Run) with eight seconds left. A two-point basket by Chris Bellamy at the buzzer handed the win to Spring Arbor.
For the Comets, senior Garner Small (Schoolcraft) posted team-highs in points (22) and rebounds (seven). Childers was the only other player in double figures with 11. Krum dished out a team-leading five assists.
Bellamy came off the bench to lead all scorers with 23 points, including 12-of-15 shooting from the charity stripe. Hogans was next with 22 points, while Greg Hamilton had 11. Bellamy also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
The Olivet players will now take the rest of the week to concentrate on their fall semester final exams and then return to the court Sunday afternoon when they play at Illinois Institute of Technology. Game time is 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. EST.
