ALMA, Mich. – After spending time with family and taking a break from the classroom, the Alma College men's basketball team returned to home court inside the Art Smith Arena as they took on the Cougars of Concordia University Chicago. The Scots added their second win in a row against Division III competition as they breezed past the Cougars, 89-67.
Concordia Chicago knocked down the first two baskets of the game before the Scots broke their silence with a three from Elijah Sykes, three minutes into the game. A small 6-0 run from the Cougars brought their lead to two possessions for several minutes in the middle frame of the first half. The Scots responded with an 8-0 run to regain the lead with under ten minutes remaining in the first, followed by traded makes by each offense for a stint. Alma would regain the lead in the final three minutes of the first half, leaning on a 10-0 run to end the half, leading 35-28 for the home team.
Alma picked up where they left off scoring the first four points of the second half, building upon their first frame lead. Another 9-0 scoring spurt from the Scots brought their lead to 19, still early in the second half. Alma was clicking on all cylinders as offensive makes lead to defensive stops, curating a lead that kept climbing throughout the second half. The Scots led by 28 at the most throughout the game, rounding out a snowy afternoon with a 89-67 win as Alma continues to find their stride early in the season.
Korbin Heitzman led all scorers on the floor with a career-high 21 points on nine of 17 shooting. Heitzman also corralled 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, along with three blocks as well. Raine Rodich added another 11 for Alma with seven boards. Joss Bradley also connected for 11 points and five rebounds. Sykes led all players with five assists in the game. Alma used 46 bench points throughout the game to sneak past the Cougars, along with 18 points coming off fast breaks.
Alma will now have some time off before traveling to the west coast for a weekend of games in Oregon. Alma will first play Linfield University on December 12th, with tip off at 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT.
