ADRIAN, Mich. - The young Bulldog men's basketball team may have just started to figure things out and that could spell trouble for the rest of the league. Adrian (8-6, 3-1 MIAA) took a big step forward towards establishing themselves as a legitimate threat in the MIAA on Saturday night (Jan. 15) with a 69-59 win over Calvin at the Merillat Gymnasium. Granted there is still a lot of season left, but for now the Bulldogs are making plays when they need to in pressure situations.

The first half would not have told that story as Adrian trailed 29-22 and shot just 32 percent against the Knights. Calvin went on a 9-2 run in the last 3:41 of the first half and Jordan Brink hit a long three-pointer at the end of the half to give his team momentum going into the locker room.

The momentum carried into the second half as many Bulldog fans thought here we go again seeing Adrian trail 36-26 with 15:05 to go. This time it would be different as AC put the pressure back on Calvin by going on a 15-4 run over the next four minutes to gain a 41-40 lead at the 11:14 mark.

With a one-point lead, Adrian still put their foot on the gas and scored the next 10 points to build their lead to 51-40 with 7:12 remaining. Calvin cut the lead to 55-50 with 3:03 left but Adrian salted the game away going 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the final 2:03 of the contest for the 10-point win.

Wesley Reed led the Bulldogs with 16 points and connected on five goals (three triples) and three free throws in 29 minutes. He also grabbed six boards which is one shy of his career-high on the glass. Delano Collins had a stellar performance with 10 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals in 34 minutes.

Jovon Mosley contributed 13 points going 11-of-12 at the free throw line. Mitch Gabriele came off the bench and provided instant offense with 11 points in 13 minutes. He went 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

Adrian shot 48.4 percent in their big second half and held Calvin to 31.6 percent shooting and six field goals. Calvin kept themselves in the game by going 22-of-23 at the line. Adrian was not too shabby either going 16-of-19. Adrian has won four of their last five games and in three of those wins they have shot 76.9 percent or better at the stripe.

Adrian had 16 offensive rebounds and 32 total boards. They also had 19 second-chance points compared to nine for the Knights. AC also got the ball inside effectively outscoring CC, 26-8, in the paint.