UOlivet lets lead slip away in 85-81 loss at Rose-Hulman

Box Score
UOlivet lets lead slip away in 85-81 loss at Rose-Hulman
December 23, 2025

TERRA HAUTE, Ind. – The University of Olivet men's basketball team let a second-half lead slip away, as Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) rallied to beat the Comets, 85-81, in a non-conference game this afternoon inside Hulbert Arena.

THE BASICS

  • Final Score: Rose-Hulman 85, Olivet 81
  • Location: Hulbert Arena; Terra Haute, Indiana
  • Records: Olivet 2-7 overall, Rose-Hulman 7-4 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Rose-Hulman seized a six-point lead, 14-8, around the midpoint of the opening half. Over the next two minutes, the Comets battled back with a 12-4 run, capped by a three-pointer by junior Conner Schipper, to take a 20-18 lead. The Fightin' Engineers scored the next four points before sophomore Sam Howard drained a triple to put Olivet back on top, 23-22.
  • After both teams made a basket from deep, Rose-Hulman split two free throws to even the score at 26-26 with 4:24 left until halftime. The Fightin' Engineers netted the next three points for a 29-26 lead. Both teams had a 5-0 run to keep the score at a three-point differential, 34-31. Sophomore Mike Okello made a layup, followed by freshman Sean Shenker banking in a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer to put the Comets ahead 36-34.
  • Olivet made three of its first four baskets of the second half to stretch the advantage to eight points. Rose-Hulman came all the way back to even the score, 69-69, at the 7:37 mark. The Comets scored the next five points before the Fightin' Engineers came back to level the score at 77-77 with 2:43 remaining.
  • The teams traded baskets for two more tied scores at 79-79 and 81-81. Rose-Hulman made a free throw after the second made shot for an 82-81 lead. Olivet had a chance to take the lead but missed a layup. The Fightin' Engineers drained three of four free throws in the final 20 seconds to win the game.
  • For the game, the Comets posted a 52.3 field goal percentage (34-of-65) to 54.4 percent (31-of-57) for Rose-Hulman. Both teams were 10-of-22 from behind the arc. The Fightin' Engineers were 13-of-22 (59.1 percent) from the free throw line, while Olivet was 3-of-8 (37.5 percent). Rose-Hulman had a slight rebounding advantage, 34 to 33.

FOR THE COMETS

  • Shenker scored a team-high 18 points, including five triples.
  • Okello finished with 16 points.
  • Junior Nathan Richardson contributed 14 points.
  • Schipper and junior Lee Hardy added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
  • Sophomore Porter Kretschman grabbed 10 rebounds.
  • Schipper also tallied six assists and two steals.

UP NEXT

  • Olivet is off until next Tuesday, December 30, when it travels to play University of Findlay (Ohio) for an exhibition game at 7 p.m. The Comets then participate in the Hope College / Glenn Van Wieren Classic on Friday and Saturday, January 2-3. Olivet plays Muskingum University (Ohio) on Friday at 5 p.m., and Washington University-St. Louis (Mo.) on Saturday at 12 p.m.