ADRIAN, Mich. – Looking to find a win to help solidify a chance at a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament postseason berth, the Scots took the court against the Adrian College Bulldogs on Saturday, February 14th, in enemy territory. The Scots who handily beat the Bulldogs the first time around, looked to repeat a collect against the Bulldogs for the season, though the Bulldogs played spoiler in a game that the Scots fell by a final score of 92-72.
Adrian opened the game with the first two of three baskets to take the first lead of the game before Alma tacked on a couple makes in a row to steal the lead shortly after. The first eight minutes of action saw both teams deadlocked in a tie or within one possession of the lead. Adrian connected a few offensive conversions with a handful of defensive stops to open the game up to lead by eight at the halfway point of the first half. Alma cut down on the lead by a couple baskets before Adrian opened the game back up and extended their lead to double figures for the first time. Again, Alma brought the lead back down to three possessions shortly after but a 9-0 run from the home team put the Scots back in a deeper deficit as the clock winded down for the opening frame. Adrian would end up taking a 15-point lead into the half, 45-30 as the Scots looked for answers heading into a new 20 minutes.
Alma opened the second half cutting into the Adrian lead that was built up from the 20 minutes prior, looking to get back within single digits. With each time the Scots applied pressure and were able to shave off some points, the Bulldogs responded quickly after to bring the lead back to where it started. Alma struggled to find consistent success down the stretch and Adrian was able to take their largest lead of the game with three minutes remaining, drawing the deficit out to 20, putting the Scots out of reach with the time remaining in a contest with postseason implications on the line. Adrian was able to defend home court and send the Scots back to Alma with a defeat, 92-72.
Joss Bradley was the leader on the court for the Scots, scoring 20 points, with six rebounds and six assists, a team high in all categories. Bradley also shot 54% from the floor and 75% from the charity stripe. Elijah Sykes added another 12 off the bench while Josh Elliott and Logan St. Martin each added ten. Elliott tied a career high six rebounds in the game as well. Alma shot over 50% from the floor and 33% from deep as a team while outscoring the Bulldogs 26-6 in bench points in the contest as well.
Alma will now head into the final week of the regular season with a match up against the Calvin University Knights on Wednesday, February 18th. Tip off for the game in Art Smith Arena is slated for 7:00 PM.
