Jan. 9, 2008

Stats

ADRIAN, Mich. - The MIAA opener was a thriller on Wednesday night as Adrian College squeaked out a 68-66 win over Olivet College inside the Merillat Center. The Bulldogs and Comets battled back and forth all night in a game which featured six ties and 12 lead changes. Adrian's biggest lead in the first half was eight points on two occasions with the last one coming at the 2:46 mark on a tip-in by Ian Weber. Olivet ended the half on a mini-run which closed the gap to 37-35 at intermission. Adrian shot 48.5 percent in the opening half while Olivet connected at a 44.1 percent clip.

The Bulldogs missed several shots inside the paint in the beginning of the second half and Olivet took advantage building a 49-39 lead at the 16:02 mark on a pair of Michael McClary freebies. Head Coach Buck Riley had seen enough at the 12:36 mark and called a timeout which seemed to put a spark in the shorts of the Bulldogs. Adrian came out with some full court pressure and rattled the Comets coming back to tie the game at 56-56 with 8:35 left in the game. Olivet held a 64-60 lead with 4:17 left after a Paul Smith runner in the lane but Adrian fought back in the closing minutes. Lamar Cardenas hit a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 64-64 with 2:45 remaining and Desmond Young tied the game for the sixth time in the half at 66-66 with 2:06 on the clock. Young played hero with 46 seconds left as he hit a tough 17-foot fadeaway from the left wing to give the Bulldogs the game's final points. Ryan Gallus missed the front end at the line and Olivet had one chance to tie the score but Michael McClary's baseline jumper went in-and-out with two seconds to go.

Young struggled with his shot but managed to lead Adrian with 18 points on 9-of-22 shooting. Matt Wayne played the role of unsung hero with 10 points on 5-of-6 from the floor after going scoreless in his last two games. Weber corraled 12 rebounds putting him over 10 boards for the eighth time in 11 games. Cardenas and Gallus finished with 11 points and combined to shoot 4-of-11 from the arc. Adrian controlled the ball with just seven turnovers while Olivet committed 15 including 11 in the second half. Adrian finished the game shooting 42.6 percent while Olivet went for 45.8 shooting from the floor including 48 percent in the final 20 minutes. Adrian is now 6-5 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA.