Men’s basketball team falls to Kalamazoo, 85-74

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – A 16-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome, as the Olivet College men's basketball team fell to Kalamazoo College 85-74 this evening in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest at the Anderson Athletic Center in Kalamazoo.

In the first half, Olivet led by four points, 8-4. The Hornets came back with a 7-0 run to take an 11-8 lead, which they did not relinquish for the rest of the half. Kalamazoo's biggest lead of the half was 18 points, 45-27, with 53 seconds left. The Comets scored the last basket of the half to trail 45-29 at the break.

In the second half, Olivet cut its deficit down to single digits, 69-60, with 5:53 remaining in the game when junior Alvino Ashley (Detroit/MLK) made a free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play. Down the stretch, the Comets got as close as seven points, 78-71, at the 1:26 mark.

For the game, both teams shot nearly identical percentages – 46.3 (31-of-67) for Olivet to 45.5 (30-of-66) for the Hornets. Each team made six 3-pointers. The difference in the game was Kalamazoo were 19-of-26 from the charity stripe, while the Comets were 6-of-12.

For Olivet, Ashley had his fourth double-double, 22 points and 14 rebounds, of the season. He also dished out six assists. Senior Jaren Edsall (Whitehall) contributed 14 points, and freshman Marquis Childers (Muskegon Heights) had 13, including three 3-pointers.

The Hornets were led by duo of Joe Prepolec and Eric Fishman, who combined to score 43 points – 22 for Prepolec and 21 for Fishman. Mark Ghafari joined them in double figures with 13 points.

The Comets will play at Alma College Saturday. Tip-off from Art Smith Arena is 3 p.m.