RICHMOND, Ind. – The Adrian College men's basketball team went on the road for the first time in the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs traveled to Earlham College to take on the Quakers from the Heartland Conference. Connor Pelham marked a career best in points with 26 as the Bulldogs fall to Earlham 94-85.

Adrian went up 4-3 early after a layup by Andrew Larson during the first possession of the game that was later followed by a layup from P'hariz Watkins. Earlham responded and made it a 10-5 game which was quickly shortened after a three-pointer from Connor Pelham.

The Quakers sparked a run and extended the lead to 20-12 with 15:11 to play in the half. Adrian scored on a layup from Pelham, but Earlham went on another run to lead 29-12. With 10:45 to go in the half, Larson broke the silence with a layup to give him four points on the night. Towards the end of the half, Jalen Paul got hot and knocked down a trio of three-pointers to chip down the lead and put the score at 50-39 with 1:34 remaining. After a missed jumped from Earlham with three second left, the Bulldogs advanced the ball quickly finding Pelham for a buzzer-beater layup.

Adrian trailed 52-41 at halftime.

The Bulldogs came ready in the second half. Jesse Lawson Jr. scored five straight Adrian points followed by a layup from Watkins and one from Pelham to put the Bulldogs within eight. Lawson and Pelham scored another pair of layups to make it a 10-2 run forcing an Earlham timeout. Watkins went on to score five straight Adrian points giving the Bulldogs the lead at 61-60 for the first time since they led 4-3 at the beginning of the game.

After Earlham regained the lead, Lawson Jr. knocked down a three from the corner to tie the game at 73-73 with 6:30 to go. Earlham managed to go on a run bringing the score to 81-75 with 4:03 to play. The Quakers kept up the pressure with time winding down bringing the score to 88-80 with 45 seconds left to play, eventually resulting in a 94-85 final score in favor of Earlham

Pelham finished 10-of-20 from the field with 26 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and two steals. Lawson Jr. finished with 14 points for Adrian followed by 13 from De'Ovion Price, and 11 from Larson and Paul.

Adrian's next game will be on Saturday at 2:00 PM as the Bulldogs take on Mount Union on the road. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM.