Lady Comets Defeat Kalamazoo, 78-74, in First-Round of 2003 MIAA Tournament
The Olivet College women's basketball team defeated Kalamazoo College, 78-74 in overtime, in the first-round of the 2003 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The victory was the first-ever MIAA tournament win in school history.
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
24 | 42 | 12 | 78 |
|
|
24 | 42 | 8 | 74 |
Team Stats
Kalamazoo
| Game Statistics | Olivet | Kalamazoo |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-59) | (24-53) |
| Field Goal % | 42.4% | 45.3% |
| Rebounds | 40 | 31 |
| Assists | 17 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 24 | 21 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 21 | 18 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 12 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 3 |
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Olivet College women's basketball team defeated Kalamazoo College, 78-74 in overtime, in the first-round of the 2003 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The victory was the first-ever MIAA tournament win in school history.
In the first half, Olivet (12-14) fell behind, 8-2. The Comets then went on a 6-0 run to tie the score and then took an 11-8 lead on a three-pointer by junior guard Kim Strange (Ellsworth High School) with 13:33 left. Olivet extended its lead to five points at 22-17 when freshman center Amanda Johnston (Mt. Morris/Genesee High School) made a free throw to complete a three-point play at the 5:08 mark. The Hornets battled back to force a 24-24 tie at halftime.
The Comets again built their lead to five points early in the second half before Kalamazoo took its own five-point lead with 12:18 remaining. From that point, neither team would lead by more than three points for the rest of regulation play. Olivet had a chance to win the game, but missed a running layup with three seconds left.
In overtime, senior three-time All-MIAA forward Louisa Grill (Williamston High School) scored the first two points, and Olivet never trailed again. The Comets stretched their lead to seven points on two occasions with the last time being 77-70 with 1:58 left. Lipton made a free throw with two seconds left to seal the victory.
Lipton paced the Comets with a 24 points, including six-of-11 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Emily Fix (Comstock Park High School) scored 15 points. Freshman center Courtney Ivan (Belleville High School) had her first collegiate double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Grill and Johnston each grabbed eight rebounds.
"Everyone played great tonight," said second-year Head Coach Deanna Richard. "We made history tonight, and we play Alma, who we have already beaten twice this season."
Alissa Johnston had a game-high 27 points to lead Kalamazoo (15-10). Amanda Weishuhn and Vanessa Larkin also scored in double figures with 18 and 14 points, respectively.
The Lady Comets (12-14) advance to play at Alma College in the MIAA Tournament semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Alma defeated Adrian, 64-44, in another first-round game tonight.