UOlivet loses at Hope, 68-64

HOLLAND, Mich. – The University of Olivet men's basketball team saw its winning streak snapped with a 68-64 loss to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Hope College today at the DeVos Fieldhouse. Despite the loss, the Comets remain in a tie for first in the MIAA standings.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Hope 68, Olivet 64
• Location: DeVos Fieldhouse; Holland, Michigan
• Records: Olivet 13-10 overall, 10-2 MIAA; Hope 15-8 overall, 10-2 MIAA

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Comets built an 11-point lead, 26-15, at the 9:37 mark of the first half. The Flying Dutchmen closed the gap to five points twice before a jumper by junior Conner Schipper made the score 40-33 at halftime.
• Hope outscored Olivet 20-6 in the first 11 minutes of the second half to take an eight-point lead, 54-46. Olivet battled back with a 12-3 run over the next three and half minutes to take a 58-57 lead. The teams traded baskets to keep the Comets ahead 60-59 with 4:41 left. The Flying Dutchmen came back with five straight points for a four-point lead.
• A layup by sophomore Mike Okello trimmed the Hope lead down to two points, 64-62. The Flying Dutchmen countered with a reverse layup to go back up by four points with one minute remaining. Sophomore Sam Howard split two free throws to make the score 66-63. Olivet forced a shot clock violation at the other end of the court. Freshman Sean Shenker made the first free throw and missed the second. A Hope player grabbed the defensive rebound, was fouled and made two free throws to seal the win.

FOR THE COMETS

• Junior Nathan Richardson scored a team-leading 16 points.
• Schipper added 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
• Shenker contributed 11 points.
• Okello tallied nine points.
• Sophomore Porter Kretschman totaled six points, six rebounds and six assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With his three blocks, Schipper became the UOlivet all-time leader with 163. He passed Michael McClary who had 160 from 2007-11.
• Richardson moved into a tie for 12th on to the Comets' all-time scoring list. He now has 1,042 points. Next up on the list is Dan Penn who had 1,054 points from 1981-85.

UP NEXT

• Olivet ends the regular season next week, hosting Adrian College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and traveling to play Trine (Ind.) University on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Comets still control their fate for at least a share of the 2026 MIAA title. Hope goes on the road to play Albion College on Wednesday and Calvin University on Saturday. Trine heads to Kalamazoo College on Wednesday and hosts the Comets on Saturday.