OLIVET, Mich.--Adrian used a suffocating defense and balance on offense to whip host Olivet, 62-40, in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association women's basketball action on Wednesday evening.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Adrian College 62, Olivet College 40

Location: Cutler Event Athletic Center; Olivet, Mich.

Records: Adrian Bulldogs 6-11 overall (2-6 MIAA); Olivet Comets 6-11 overall (2-6 MIAA)

TOP 'DAWGS
= Sophomore Rachel Bucher tied teammate senior Ashley Morris for game-high scoring honors with 14 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the field. Bucher also had six rebounds.

= Morris made six of 10 field goals for 14 points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals.

= Sophomore Sha'Trice Graves pulled down a game-best nine rebounds, recorded a career-best four steals and blocked two shots.

= Junior Alivia Kondrath (2 rebounds) and Emily Somerville (3) chipped in 11 and 10 points apiece and both added two assists.

THE OPPOSITION
= Kim Buie led the Comets with seven points on 3-for-3 field goal shooting.

= Fayth Talbert had six rebounds, two blocks and a steal. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
= Adrian held Olivet to just 23.7 percent (14-59) from the field while making 44.2 percent of its shots (23-52).

= The Bulldogs had 22 turnovers offset by a strong inside presence, outscoring the Comets 32-14 in the paint and winning the glass (44-32 rebounds).

= The teams had a back-and-forth first quarter in which neither side had more than a two-possession lead, with Olivet holding a 17-16 edge after 10 minutes.

= Adrian, however, took control in the second when the Bulldogs outscored the Comets 16-6 to go up nine at the break, 32-23. Kondrath hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Bulldogs the lead for good, 23-20, with 6 minutes and 34 seconds remaining. Adrian shot 50 percent (6-12) while holding Olivet to 16.7 (2-12) in the decisive second stanza.

= The Bulldogs built the advantage to as many as 27 points late in the third quarter and were never threatened after that.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
= Adrian snaps a five-game losing streak in picking up its first win of the 2019 calendar year.

= Graves added two more blocks to her NCAA-leading total to 56.

= Bucher's 7-for-8 field goal shooting is an .875 clip, which would rank among one of the best single-game performances in Adrian history if she qualified. (Even if her attempts would be extended to 10, a .700 percentage would be ninth all-time.)

= Adrian leads the all-time series over Olivet, 71-29, including a 32-14 road mark.

= The 40 points by Olivet are an opponent low scored against Adrian this season. That's the fewest Adrian has allowed versus a MIAA opponent since defeating Kalamazoo on the road, 81-39, on Nov. 30, 2016.  

UP NEXT
= Adrian wraps up its five-game road swing on Saturday (3 p.m.) at MIAA foe Kalamazoo.

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