Women’s Basketball: Connelly leads Olivet to 70-51 win over Kalamazoo

OLIVET, Mich. – Senior Lily Connelly helped The University of Olivet women's basketball team defeat Kalamazoo College, 70-51, in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) contest this afternoon at the Cutler Event Center.

• Final Score: Olivet 70, Kalamazoo 51
• Location: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 7-13 overall, 4-7 MIAA; Kalamazoo 3-16 overall, 0-10 MIAA

• On a three-pointer by freshman Christina Malackanich, the Comets jumped out to a 3-0 lead. The Hornets answered with five straight points. Another three by Malackanich put Olivet ahead for good. That basket ignited an 18-3 run to make the score 23-9 with 2:14 left in the first quarter. Kalamazoo netted the final six points of the quarter to trail 23-15 at the start of the second stanza.
• In the second quarter, the Comets stretched their lead twice to 18 points. The second time doubled the Hornets in the scoring column, 36-18. A 5-0 spurt for Kalamazoo made the score 36-21 at halftime.
• The Hornets battled back to trim their deficit down to 11 points, 38-27, at the 6:41 mark of the third quarter. Olivet ended the quarter with a 12-4 run to extend its advantage to 19 points, 50-31, to begin the final quarter. The Comets led by as many as 23 points, 58-35, around the midpoint of the fourth period.

• Olivet had a balanced scoring attack in the game. All 15 players who were dressed for the game saw action, with 14 scoring at least two points.
• Connelly tallied a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. She also had four assists and five steals.
• Malackanich added 10 points.
• Freshman Savannah Brewer came off the bench to score eight points.

• Olivet's seven overall wins and four MIAA victories this season both already surpass its totals of six and three from last year.
• With today's win against Kalamazoo, the Comets now have a 48-46 record against the Hornets in school history.
• Olivet also swept the season series with Kalamazoo for a second straight season.
• With her five steals, Connelly now has 101 in her two years at Olivet. She needs just eight steals to move into the top 10 in school history.

• The Comets are on the road to play Adrian College next Wednesday, January 31. Tip-off from the Merillat Sport & Fitness Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.