Story by Mitch Blankespoor
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – After a close first half, the Kalamazoo College men's basketball team exploded for 44 points in the second half while holding the Alma Scots to just 27 second half points en route to an 82-62 victory.
The Hornets began the second half on a 16-7 run to gain a 12-point advantage. Alma cut the Kalamazoo lead to ten points when DJ Beckman made a layup with 12:48 remaining.
Then the Hornet defense began to swarm. Alma would be held without a field goal for just over seven minutes. In that span, Kalamazoo surrendered just three free throws.
Kalamazoo senior Mark Ghafari was led to 8-21 shooting on the night, but made two three pointers to put the Hornets up by 23 points and seal the game.
Ghafari, who came in averaging 25 points a game, finished with 27 on the day along with six rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Adam Peters and freshman guard Josh Whitney each finished with 12 points. Peters added eight rebounds while Whitney grabbed five boards.
As a team, Kalamazoo shot 48 percent (31-64) from the field in the contest while Alma shot 40 percent (19-48). Alma, which is known for its shooting beyond the arc, connected on just 3-14 triples.
Perhaps the most impressive stat of the night for the Hornets was the assists-to-turnover ratio. Kalamazoo committed just three turnovers compared to seven assists.
With the win, Kalamazoo improves to 8-9 on the season and 3-3 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play. The Hornets now face a tough two-game road trip where K will play at Albion on Feb. 1 and at Hope on Feb. 3.