OLIVET, Mich. - The strongest will survive and tonight it was the Bulldog men's basketball team that avenged two earlier season losses with a win when it mattered the most. Adrian (13-12) picked up a 67-64 double overtime win against the Comets at Cutler Event Center in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals and will now advance to the MIAA Tournament Semifinals. The Bulldogs will travel to DeVos Fieldhouse on Friday night (Feb. 25) for a 8:15 pm tip against Hope College.
Senior Jovon Mosley led Adrian with 25 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds (all defensive) in 40 minutes. He was 8-of-13 from the field and 8-of-11 at the free throw line. Mosley also had two assists and two steals in the contest. Adrian shot 30.4 percent in the first half, 36.8 percent in the second half and 50 percent in both overtimes. AC was 30-of-42 from the free throw line, both season-highs for makes and attempts from the line. They were 16-of-20 in the second half and 10-of-16 in overtime.
Adrian built a nine-point lead in the first half at 17-8 with 7:10 remaining after a layup by Mosley. The Bulldogs led 19-15 at halftime and scored 10 of those points in the paint.
Olivet tied the game at 21-21 at the 18:16 mark of the second half for the fourth tie of the game after a Joe Post jumper. Olivet took the lead at 27-24 on a triple by Post with 16:24 in the half and kept that lead until the 7:32 mark when Sean Gallant hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 36-36.
The rest of regulation was a one-possession game as the teams tied for the ninth time at 48-48 with 1:14 left after a Mosley layup. Mosley was fouled on the play and hit the free throw to give Adrian a 49-48 lead. Michael McClary made two free throws on Olivet's next possession to give the Comets a 50-49 lead with 1:00 to play. Wesley Reed was fouled with 26 seconds to go and made the first free throw but missed the second to setup one final play. Olivet's McClary missed a shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Mosley scored the first bucket of overtime at the 2:13 mark but McClary answered to tie it up at 52-52 with 1:49 to play in the first OT. Cody Barnes then hit a huge three-pointer with 1:23 on the clock to put AC up 55-52. McClary cut the lead to one with 1:02 to play and Adrian got the lead back up to three on a pair of Reed free throws with 11 seconds left. Jaren Edsall chucked up a three and Post grabbed the rebound and got behind the arc and launched a game-tying three as time expired to knot things up at 57-57 after 45 minutes.
Adrian did not let that shot kill their spirit as they built a 62-59 lead on a layup by Delano Collins with 1:44 left in the second OT. Reed split at the line and Gallant also split at the line with 31 seconds left after a technical foul against Olivet's Eric Mack. Adrian's 64-59 lead grew one point after a three-point miss by Post and a made free throw by Gallant with 22 seconds to go. Olivet got it to 66-64 with six seconds left and fouled Reed who missed the first and made the second free throw to keep hope alive for Olivet. Barnes then made the defensive play of the game stealing the ball away from McClary and dribbling out the clock.
Collins finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in 44 minutes. Reed finished with 10 points and went 8-of-12 from the line after shooting 94.1 percent for the season. Gallant added 14 points and seven boards in 45 minutes.
