OLIVET, Mich.-- A tough defensive effort by Olivet proved too much for Trine to overcome, as the Thunder fell to the Comets, 73-59 in MIAA-action Wednesday night at Cutler Event Center.

Olivet held Trine to a 31 percent (18-of-59) shooting clip on the night, while the Comet bench produced 43 points to pace the offensive effort. MIAA-leading scorer Stefanie Lang come off the bench to score 19 points and grab 13 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action to lead Olivet. Whitney Shaffer (Tipton, Ind./Tri-Central) led the Thunder with 16 points. Trine falls to 13-9 overall and 7-6 in the MIAA. Olivet improved to 12-10, 7-6 in conference play. The two teams are tied for the fourth and final seed in the MIAA Tournament. The Comets would win the tiebreaker by virtue of their sweep in the season series.

Ashley Elliott (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg) came off the bench to notch a career-high 12 points for Trine. Kayla Dunn (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City) added 11 points and five assists.

After a 7-4 Trine start, the Comets took over the rest of the first half with tight defense. Olivet would lead by as much as 16 in the half, while holding the Thunder to a 24 percent (6-of-25) shooting clip. Trine hit three of their first 18 attempts from the field. Five players scored five or more points in the half for Olivet, including 26 points from bench players.

The Thunder were able to cut the deficit to seven with a 9-0 run early in the second half. An old-fashioned three-point play from Taylor Cole (Mount Pleasant, Mich./Shepherd) and a dish from Cole to Elliott for a jumper cut the score 43-36.

Lang then took over for the Comets, scoring seven straight points to push the lead back to double-digits. Trine was unable to close the deficit to single-digits the rest of the way.

Trine returns to action this Saturday, Feb. 14 when they travel to Adrian for their final road contest of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.