The Hornets lost their regular season opener 81-69 on the road Saturday afternoon against Bluffton.
Kalamazoo didn't start strong and fell behind the Beavers 46-25 going into halftime. In the second half the Hornets showed resiliency after falling behind by as much as 27. Kalamazoo slowly started chipping away at the lead and was able to cut the lead to as little as eight points with a minute left to go in the game. Kalamazoo had to foul to stop the clock in the final minute and Bluffton hit most of its free throws to seal the victory.
Adam Peters was huge for Kalamazoo with 19 points, three rebounds and two assists. He also shot an impressive 8-18 from the field. Mike Oravetz chipped in 11 points and Jake Whitney added eight points and four boards. The Hornets did a good job holding onto the ball and only committed seven turnovers in the contest, six less than the Beavers. Kalamazoo also looked good from downtown, connecting on five of its eleven three pointers. Unfortunately for the Hornets Bluffton couldn't miss from beyond the arc and sunk eleven threes.
The Hornets now have two weeks off before traveling to Manchester on Saturday, Nov. 29 to play in the MIAA/HCAC Challenge.