Olivet Holds Off ODU To Win Consolation Game Of Zimmerman Memorial Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Olivet College Comets weathered a spirited comeback attempt by the Ohio Dominican University Panthers to pull out an 89-77 victory in the consolation game of the 2009 Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic, hosted by Wittenberg University.

The Comets, who lost a hard-fought 55-49 decision to the host Wittenberg Tigers on Tuesday, improved to 5-6 on the 2009-10 season. Ohio Dominican, which lost to Marian in the first round, dropped to 6-8.

Olivet jumped out to a 40-21 halftime lead on the strength of 52 percent shooting from the field, contrasted with the 26 percent shooting of Ohio Dominican. The Panthers then picked up the pace over the final 20 minutes, frequently picking up steals and forcing rushed possessions with a frenetic full-court press, but Olivet held on, expanding a five-point lead with 5:15 remaining to as many as 14 points in the closing seconds.

Several individual performances stood out in the final examination of the statistics, starting with the 32 points and eight rebounds turned in by Michael McClary of Olivet. Andy Clark added 16 points off the bench, while Nathan Jennings and Joe Post each contributed 13 points in the game. Post added four assists, while Jennings was strong on the boards with seven.

On the other side, Ohio Dominican picked up a monster game from Aaron Gibbs, who pulled down a tournament-record 23 rebounds to go along with 21 points. Terence Burse added 13 points and four rebounds off the bench, while Adriene Rodriguez added 10 points.