Men's basketball team loses to Tri-State, 63-62, in overtime

The Olivet College men's basketball team let a 12-point lead slip away as Tri-State (Ind.) University rallied to beat the Comets, 63-62, in overtime tonight at the Upton Center in Olivet.

The Thunder (13-7, 7-3 MIAA) led by as many as seven points on two occasions in the first half. The last time was 24-17 with six minutes left. Olivet (5-15, 3-7 MIAA) cut its deficit to two points, 31-29, when junior Jeff Cooper (Dowagiac) made a three-pointer with three seconds left on the first half clock.

Neither team led by more than two points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Following a 41-41 tie, the Comets went on a 15-3 run to take their 12-point lead with five minutes remaining in regulation. The Thunder forced overtime as they scored 12 straight points while keeping Olivet off the scoreboard in the final five minutes.

At the start of overtime, Maruice Brookins made a three-pointer for Tri-State. The Comets answered when junior Brandon Way (Detroit/Southwestern) canned a three-point basket. A layup by Tony Benford gave the Thunder a lead, which they did not relinquish despite missing eight free throws in overtime.

Olivet had a balanced scoring attack. Way scored a team-high 13 points. Sophomore Eric McCoy (Charlotte) added 11 points, while Cooper and junior Evan Jones (Charlotte) had eight points a piece. Freshman Andre Williams (Detroit/Highland Park) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Benford paced Tri-State with 23 points and nine rebounds. Brookins had 21 points along with four assists.

The Comets travel to play Adrian College Wednesday, Feb. 7. Tip-off from the Merillat Center is 7:30 p.m.