By Mitch Blankespoor
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team held home court Thursday, Dec. 19 as the Hornets survived a tough test winning 90-86 over Marygrove College.
Junior forward Adam Peters led all scorers with a career-high 36 points on 16-21 shooting. The Hickory corners native also hauled in eight rebounds and added two assists and a block for good measure.
Senior guard Mark Ghafari came into the night averaging over 30 points a game, but was held to 19 on this night. The University-Liggett alumnus also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists, and converted eight of his 11 free through attempts.
Freshman forward Chase Baysdell had his best all-around game thus far this season scoring 11 points, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out six assists, and making two steals. Baysdell manufactured his 11 points at the charity stripe going 6-7 despite shooting just 2-10 from the field.
Kalamazoo took a 45-34 lead into halftime, but things got testy for the Hornets in the second half.
The Hornets kept feeding Peters in the post, and it paid off. K had a six point cushion with 90 ticks left on the clock. Marygrove would get to within three points on two occasions in the final 30 seconds. Both times, however, the Hornets elected not to chance a game-tying three pointer and fouled to put the Mustangs on the line. A final "Hail Mary" pass found the hands of Peters who went off the glass and in as time expired.The Hornets would lead by as many as 19 points with just under 15 minutes to play in regulation, but Marygrove's Jimmy Stewart would spark the Mustangs. Stewart hit five triples over the next ten minutes. All of a sudden, the 19-point lead had evaporated and the game tied at 73.
Both teams attempted 69 shots with Marygrove making 35 and K making 33. Perhaps the Hornets won the game from the free throw line converting 21-28 attempts. The Mustangs, on the other hand, went just 6-11.
Diante Taylor led Marygrove in defeat with 23 points on 9-20 shooting.
With the win, Kalamazoo snaps a three-game skid and improves to 4-3 on the season. The Hornets return to action Saturday, Dec. 21, when they travel across state lines to face National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for Purdue-Calumet. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EST.