Alma, Mich. - The Alma College men's basketball team withstood a late surge by league-leading Adrian College on Saturday (Jan. 20) night at Art Smith Arena, as the Scots never trailed in a 73-66 victory. 

With the win, Alma forced a four-team logjam at the top of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings, as Adrian, Olivet College, Trine University and Hope College all share the lead with 4-2 record. The Scots, 3-3 in the MIAA, are currently alone in fifth place as the teams near the half-way point of the conference season.

Alma (6-11 overall, 3-3 MIAA) led by as many as 14 points in the first half but never surrendered the lead despite several attempts by the Bulldogs to grab the advantage in the final 10 minutes of the game. 

Senior Kevin Scheibert (Sanford, Mich./Sanford-Meridian) recorded his first career double-double, scoring a team-high 18 points and leading all players with a career-best 12 rebounds. The Scots shot 52.7 percent for the game and out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a 36-27 margin. 

Sophomore Ryan Stevens (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) dished out his 100th assist of the season and led all players with seven helpers to go along with 14 points, while sophomore Luke Lamoreaux (Sterling Heights, Mich./Stevenson) and senior Doug Bradfield (Mason, Mich./Mason) recorded 10 points each. 

Adrian (13-4 overall, 4-2 MIAA) was led by Jeremy Kalonji's 22 points as Alma handed the Bulldogs their second straight defeat. 

How It Happened

• Alma opened the game with a 14-3 run to take an 11-point advantage before Adrian scored a quick eight points - all by Tre'Shon Heard - to cut the Scots' lead to three points at 14-11 halfway through the stanza. 
• The Scots went on another run to open up a 14-point lead, outscoring the Bulldogs 13-2 before trading threes with Adrian to close out the half as five of the Bulldogs' nine shots came from behind the arc.
• Adrian whittled away the Scots lead in the second half, putting together an 11-4 stretch that resulted in a tie game at 46-46 with 12:05 to play. The Bulldogs kept it a one-possession game until Alma reeled off seven straight points - including a three by Ryan Stevens - to open up an eight-point advantage at 62-54 with 3:51 left.
• The Scots held at least a two-posession advantage until the final thirty seconds, when Adrian's Sam Colbert hit a three with 26 seconds left to cut Alma's lead to 69-66. Ryan Stevens put the game away six seconds later, scoring on a drive to put the Scots back up by five points at 71-66. After two missed three-point attempts by the Bulldogs, Kevin Gamble sealed the victory with a pair of free throws.

Noteables

• The win marked the first home victory for Alma this season and the sixth straight win over the Bulldogs. In addition, Alma has won five straight over Adrian at Art Smith Arena dating back to the 2012-13 campaign.
• Kevin Scheibert pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds and posted his first career double-double, adding 18 points. He is the first Scot to accomplish the feat this season.
• Over the last three outings, Scheibert is averaging 18.7 points per game. 
• Ryan Stevens became the 10th player in Alma College history to record 100 or more assists in a season, dishing out seven helpers to improve his season total to 101. Stevens has 193 career assists, seven away from becoming the eighth player in program history to reach the 200 mark. 
• Doug Bradfield posted 10 points, his first double-figure scoring output since December 30 against WPI. Bradfield played 18 minutes and left the game early due to injury.

Up Next

Alma will wrap up the first half of MIAA play on Wednesday, Jan. 24, traveling to Angola, Ind., to face Trine University. Tip-off between the Scots and Thunder is set for 7:30 p.m.