ADRIAN, Mich. - On a night when the top three scorers went a combined 6-for-30 from the floor, it was the Bulldog bench that contributed 31 points in a 68-62 overtime win over Notre Dame College (Ohio) on Saturday night. The Bulldogs evened their record at 3-3 overall and got big contributions off the pine by sophomore guard Mitch Gabriele (12 points) and sophomore center Ray Reed (10 points).
Adrian controlled the tempo from the tip holding the Falcons to 23 first-half points. The Falcons entered the game averaging 75.7 points per game and were held to 62 points. Adrian shot 34.4 percent in the first half and just 29.2 percent in the second half, but connected on 3-of-4 from the floor in overtime including a pair of big triples by sophomore guard Cody Barnes. Barnes went 4-for-6 from behind the arc for the game totaling 12 points in 21 minutes. Adrian was very balanced in scoring with five guys in double figures. Senior Jovon Mosley nearly made it a sixth player with nine points. Mosley also grabbed eight rebounds in 30 minutes.
Notre Dame College shot 45.8 percent in the second half and erased a 13-point lead by the Bulldogs at the 17:29 mark. The Falcons knotted the game at 50-50 through 40 minutes and an extra session was needed to decide this one. The Bulldogs scored the first 12 points in overtime to take a commanding lead en route to their third win. Barnes hit a triple at 4:34 and answered with another one at 3:47 to give Adrian a 56-50 lead. Mosley made it 58-50 at 2:38 on a layup and then hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 60-50 with 1:59 to play. Collins then made two more freebies with 54 seconds to go to give Adrian a 62-50 lead. Notre Dame finally got a bucket from Rodney Mickens with 48 seconds to play, but it was too little too late for the Falcons. Mickens led Notre Dame with 19 points and connected on three long bombs.
Adrian shot 35 percent (21-for-60) for the contest but played another strong game on defense holding NDC to 39.7 percent from the floor (23-for-58). The Falcons were shooting 44.8 percent from the floor coming into the game. Adrian took very good care of the ball with just seven turnovers. They also benefitted by 11 Falcon turnovers and converted them into 13 points. Collins had his first double-double of the season with 10 points and a season-high 10 assists. Wes Reed scored 11 points and recorded two steals. Gabriele was the unsung hero with 12 points making 3-for-7 from the arc in 14 minutes. Ray Reed added 10 points, seven boards and three blocks in 25 minutes.
