KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team picked up its second straight win of the season with a 65-55 victory over Alma College on Saturday afternoon.
Alma got on the board first before the Hornets were able to even the score at 5-5 with a three-point jumper from Thomas Cook. Both teams traded baskets for much of the first half with the game tied on four separate occasions. Alma took a narrow 27-26 lead into halftime after a last-minute 7-0 run, shooting 37 percent from the field compared to Kalamazoo's 35 percent.
Kalamazoo took back an early lead in the second half after back-to-back threes from Cook. The Hornets were able to go ahead by a 41-31 margin after Jack Smith and Merritt Hamann each hit three-pointers of their own.
Alma fought back at the 11:42 mark with a 10-0 run to tie things up 41-41. Kalamazoo took off and held the advantage for the last six minutes after a 14-0 run to give the Hornets their largest lead of the contest. The team shot an impressive 47 percent from the floor while holding Alma to just 29 percent shooting in the second half of play. A strong advantage was also held at the charity stripe as Kalamazoo earned 14 points off free throws in the second half.
Kalamazoo shot 40.4 percent (21-of-52) overall compared to 32.8 percent by Alma and hit 29.6 percent (8-of-27) of its shots from three-point range. The Scots outrebounded the Hornets 40-35, but Kalamazoo tallied only eight turnovers compared to Alma's 12. Kalamazoo notched 24 points in the paint and scored 21 points off Alma turnovers.
Senior forward Merritt Hamann led the Hornets with a career-high 26 points, adding seven rebounds and three assists while playing 37 minutes.
Fellow senior Thomas Cook earned his third consecutive double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Jack Smith was the third Hornet to score in double-digits with 11 points, six rebounds and a team-high five steals.
The Hornets are back on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 17 when they travel to Albion. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.