The Adrian College basketball team shot 63.5 percent from the field and used solid defense down the stretch to hold off non-conference opponent Hiram College, 85-80, in the Bulldogs home opener on Saturday evening.
Adrian made 33-of-52 field goals for a season-high 63.5 percent to build as much as an 18-point lead in the second quarter. The Bulldogs also were 6-for-11 (54.5) from three-point range. The Bulldogs led 24-12 after the first quarter and had its biggest lead of 18 points at 37-19 on a Campbell 3ball from the corner with 5 minutes and 35 seconds left in the second.
Trailing 44-31 going into the third quarter, Hiram eventually cut it to 50-47 at the 4:39 mark on a Wright three-pointer. Wright keyed the run with 10 points. Adrian responded quickly by going up 60-48 over the next two minutes as Kondrath started the 10-1 run with a trey and Bergman ended it with a traditional three-point play of a layup and free throw.
But in the fourth quarter, the Terriers wouldn’t quit and battled back from a 71-60 deficit to tie the score 75-all after Wright was fouled from beyond the 3-point arc and made all three free throws with 3:40 to go. The Bulldogs, however, pushed back again and held the Terriers at bay by not giving up the lead. Campbell fed Bergman for a nice give-and-go underneath the basket to go up 77-75.
Campbell scored six of Adrian’s last eight points, including 4-for-4 at the free throw stripe, to seal the victory. Adrian also held the edge on the glass by outrebounding Hiram 34-25. The Terriers scored 25 points off 21 Adrian turnovers. The Bulldogs had the better bench with 22 points to Hiram’s 11 and also dominated the paint, 48-34.
Adrian travels to Alvernia, Pa., next weekend for the Alvernia College Tournament. On Saturday, the Bulldogs will play Brooklyn at 3pm. The third-place and championship games will be held the following day.
This article was written using a press release and information generated by Adrian College’s sports information department. It is nearly entirely a repost of the original press release. For more college sports, follow us on Twitter @MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
