Men's basketball drops a heartbreaker, 69-66, to Adrian in overtime

The Olivet College men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 69-66 overtime decision to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Adrian College today at the Upton Center in Olivet.

After trailing 30-19 at halftime, the Comets (3-11, 1-3 MIAA) outscored the Bulldogs (5-8, 4-0 MIAA), 39-28, to force overtime. At the end of regulation, Olivet went up by three points, 58-55, when junior Jeff Cooper (Dowagiac) made a pair of free throws with 20.8 seconds remaining. Adrian's Ryan Gallus sent the game to the extra session when he buried a three-pointer with 13.7 seconds left.

In overtime, the Comets scored the first four points to take a 62-58 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a 7-0 run to take a three-point lead, 65-62. They did not give up their lead for the rest of the overtime session.

For Olivet, freshman Andy Sierminski (Jackson/Lumen Christi) scored a game-high 18 points. Cooper had 17 points off the bench, and junior Brandon Way (Detroit/ Southwestern) added 10 points. Junior Paul Smith (Napoleon) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Adrian had six players reach double figures in points. Gallus led the way with 16 points, followed by Corey Smith, Steve Thornton and Desmond Young with 11 points a piece. Andy Kubish pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Comets return to the court Wednesday, Jan. 17, against Calvin College at 8 p.m. Prior to the men's game, the Olivet women play Calvin at 6 p.m.