BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball team downed the No. 4 ranked NCJAA in the nation, Illinois Central College, 111-108, in a Homecoming exhibition game. Zanna Myers led the way with 26 points in the contest.
Myers got hot early making her first three-point shot attempts and also got to the line twice to add another three to her first-quarter total. The Tigers got out to as much as a 10-point lead midway through the quarter before the Cougars sparked a 15-2 run to take a 26-23 lead with 2:25 left in the period. Buckets from Myers and Kaitlyn Clark ended ICC's run and both teams were knotted up at 28-28 after 10 minutes of play.
Olivet Nazarene forced the Cougars to commit seven turnovers in the second quarter, which allowed the Tigers to score in transition. A 9-0 run at the 3:31-minute mark was highlighted by Karina Smits scoring three consecutive field goals to stretch their lead to nine and force an ICC timeout. ONU kept the NCJAA side at arm's length for the rest of the half and carried an eight-point advantage into the locker room.
Halftime: Olivet Nazarene 55, Illinois Central 49
The Cougars came out of the break hot shooting 60.9% from the floor and held the Tigers to 29% shooting. ICC went on a 7-5 run out of the gate and then a 9-4 run that brought both teams level at 65-65 at the 6:27-minute mark. After an ONU timeout, Olivet answered with a run of their own. Clark, Myers, and Maggie Cora all contributed to regaining a 10-point lead with four minutes left in the third quarter. Illinois Central would not go away as they chipped their way into the lead and eventually took an, 82-81, lead right before the period ended.
The Tigers regained the lead early in the fourth quarter and did not look back. Eight different Olivet players tallied points in the final period. They locked down defensively swiping seven steals while only turning the ball over three times. An important six points from Kennedy Johnson down the stretch sealed the victory.
Game Vitals
Final: Olivet Nazarene 111, Illinois Central College 108
Location: McHie Arena | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.
Quick Hits
- Six different Tigers reached double digits in scoring including Alayha Allen and Kaitlyn Clark off the bench.
- Caroline Boehne registered a game-high 12 rebounds.
- ONU forced 28 turnovers including 22 steals.
- Kennedy Johnson tallied a team-high eight assists in the contest.
The Tigers will officially kick-off their 2021-22 season as enter the Bethel Tip-Off Classic and face Taylor next Friday, Oct. 29 with tip-off slated for 5 p.m. They will quickly turn around and play Bethel the next day at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30. Please visit onutigers.com for the updated live links to follow all the action.
--ONU—
*Contact: Patrick Kaindl, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, pkaindl@olivet.edu