OLIVET, MICH.— A quick start for Olivet proved too much for Trine to overcome as the Comets defeated Trine 76-51 in the final game of the season for the Thunder Saturday afternoon at The Cutler Event Center.
Olivet connected on eight of their first 11 field goal attempts and never looked back. The Comets shot 51 percent (32-of-63) from the field in the contest . Stefanie Lang scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds to pace OC. Kayla Dunn (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City) scored 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting to lead Trine. Dunn closes the season having scored in double-figures in five of the last seven games. Trine concludes the season 6-19 overall, 3-13 in the MIAA. Olivet closes the regular-season 22-3 and 14-2 in conference play.
Laura Rosekrans (Williamston, Mich./Williamston) came off the bench to score 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting for Trine. Lauren Tait (Syracuse, Ind./Wawasee) and Liz Hartley (Muncie, Ind./Cowan) played the final game of their Trine careers. The Thunder shot 29 percent from the field (16-of-55).
Chelsea Ciba narrowly missed a double-double for Olivet, scoring 12 points and dishing out nine assists. Kelsey Campbell added nine points and dished out 13 assists. Dallas Austin, Carli Reid and McKenzie Skiendziel each notched 11 points.
The Comets came out on fire, hitting eight of their first 11 attempts from the floor to open up a 19-5 lead. Twelve of those points came in the paint as OC asserted their size advantage inside. The Comets would hold a 22-6 advantage in the paint and lead by as much as 20 in the first half. Olivet assisted on 16 of their 18 made field goals in the half, which helped the Comets shoot 55 percent (18-of-33).
Dunn led the Thunder as they tried to keep pace in the first half, scoring 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting prior to halftime. The junior showed off an efficient mid-range jumper. The Thunder shot 27 percent in the first (8-of-30).
The Comets continued their hot shooting in the second half, pushing the lead as high as 26 in the closing minutes. They finished with a 46-14 edge in the paint. Lang scored 10 of her points in the second half for the Comets. Olivet finished with 23 assists on their 32 made field goals.