ALMA, Mich. – The Alma College men's basketball team hosted the Adrian Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The Scots pulled away with a win 78-75, in a thriller.  

The Scots started the game by racing out to a 7-3 lead. The Bulldogs quickly came back and went on a 17-0 run to take the lead from the Scots. Alma would come back with a 11-0 run of their own minutes later to take the lead back. Alma would go on a 10-2 run with four minutes remaining in the half to lake a 38-28 lead into halftime.  

Coming out of the half, Alma kept the momentum going, running out to a 17-point lead with 16 minutes remaining in the second half. Alma would hold a double-digit lead over the Bulldogs until the seven-minute mark of the second half. The Bulldogs stormed back on a 20-4 run to make the score 67-68 with three minutes left to play. The last minutes of the game proved to be eventful as the Bulldogs would tie the Scots at 72. Alma would then trail by two until Cole Kleiver converted a layup off the glass to tie the game. Brandon Whiteside cashed in on a layup after Adrian only converted on one of two free throws, creating a one-point lead for Alma. With 11 seconds left to play, Kleiver knocked down a fade away jumper to seal the win for the Scots.  

"I couldn't be prouder of how we finished our season at home," said head coach Ryan Clark. We're happy we could get our seniors a win on senior night and send them out at home the way they deserve. I am proud of how we continued to fight and stay together as a team." 

Leading the Scots on offense was Kleiver with 30 points. Brandon Rake followed behind with 15 points and led the team with 14 rebounds. Whiteside contributed 12 points for the Scots. Isaiah Williamson had three blocks. Alma outrebounded the Bulldogs 43-36. 

The Scots honored eight seniors: Whiteside, Kleiver, Williamson, Rake, Austin Harris, Alex King, Mason Gardner and Jack Poling.

The Scots' next game is Thursday, Feb. 17, as they travel to Kalamazoo College to take on the Hornets. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. 

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