PALATINE, Ill. - A 21-2 run at the end of the first half was too much for the Harper College men's basketball team to overcome in a 103-85 loss to Olivet Nazarene JV on Tuesday night in Palatine.  The 103 points was the most the Hawks have surrendered all season.

“We couldn't guard anybody, which forces you to get out of control offensively and not do things well,” said Harper head coach Tony Amarino.  “We just couldn't get a stop.  I give them a lot of credit.  They played well, and we helped them by being bad.  We were undisciplined.  Every philosophy that we have defensively, we threw in the toilet tonight.”

Harper (5-4) got off to a fast start behind Kyler Market (Lombard, Ill., Willowbrook) and Horace Grant, Jr. (Deerfield, Ill., Deerfield).  The duo combined for the Hawk's first 14 points and helped the team take a 22-15 lead just over nine minutes into the game.  A steal from Brian Battaglia (Elk Grove, Ill., Elk Grove) led to a fast break layup for Bryant Adams (Chicago, Ill., De LaSalle), giving Harper their biggest lead of the game.
 
But after John Lorenz (Elk Grove Village, Ill., Elk Grove) hit a three for a 27-22 advantage with 8:23 left, the Hawks scored just one basket the rest of the half.  Olivet Nazarene (2-6) then went on the aforementioned 21-2 run spanning 8:16.
 
The Tigers led 88-69 with 4:18 left but the Hawks went on a 9-2 run to close the gap down to 12 with 2:56 left.  Lorenz started the run with a three-pointer and Connor Miklasz (Mt. Prospect, Ill., Hersey) and Market added baskets before Lorenz capped it with two free throws.  The Tigers, however, countered with an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach.

“I thought we were close, but then we took some bad shots and didn't get stops,” Amarino said.  “The bottom line is that we couldn't stop anyone.  They scored when they wanted and how they wanted.” 

Market led the Hawks with 23 points while Grant added 17.  Miklasz had 11 points and six assists, Lorenz scored 10 and Simeon Handy (Chicago, Ill., Farragut Academy) chipped in eight.
 
Up next, Harper will play in the William R. Bear Classic Tournament at Highland Community College in Freeport.  The team will play games on Friday and Saturday, the first of which will be against Lakeland College (2-3).