MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The No. 20 Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball team tipped off their 2021-22 season with an 89-79 victory over No. 25 Taylor University Friday night at the Bethel Tip-Off Classic. Head Coach Lauren Glenn tallied career win number 200 off of a career-high performance from Karina Smits who scored 25 points.

A seesaw affair played out early as there were eight lead changes in the first quarter. Smits got hot shooting 5-7 from the floor to end the first quarter with 13 points. A Kennedy Johnson steal leading to a Smits made three was the difference between the two ball clubs after 10 minutes played. The Tigers took the 23-20 lead into the first official break.

Jamie Finn's three-point bucket 1:45 into the second quarter sparked a 17-4 Tiger run. 10 first-half steals leading to buckets ballooned ONU's lead to 14. This was their biggest lead of the contest at the midway point with the score at 40-26. Taylor cut into the lead going on a 7-0 run of their own in the final 1:22. The Trojan run was capped off with a three-point bucket drilled at the buzzer. Olivet carried a seven-point lead into the locker room.

Halftime: (20) Olivet Nazarene 45, (25) Taylor 38

Taylor continued to chip away and cut the ONU advantage to just three at 6:31 left in the quarter. Zanna Myers, Maggie Cora, and Smits all converted three-point field goals to keep the surging Trojans at bay. The Tigers ended the quarter on a 6-2 mini-run to restore a double-digit lead after three quarters. Olivet Nazarene held the 70-60 advantage.

Olivet kept a firm grip on the game in the fourth quarter never letting the lead slip to under a possession. Clutch free-throw shooting included the Tigers cashing in 16-18 from the charity stripe and making 5-6 down the stretch. Smits nailed two more three-point baskets in the last 1:38 to seal ONU's first win of the season.

Game Vitals

Final: (20) Olivet Nazarene 89, (25) Taylor 79

Records: (20) Olivet Nazarene 1-0 | (25) Taylor 1-1

Location: Wiekamp Athletic Center| Olivet Nazarene University | Mishawaka, Ind.

Quick Hits

• Three different Tigers tallied double-digits in the scoring column.
• ONU as a team made 13 threes on the night at a clip of 29.5%
• 10 different players registered a steal totaling 17 for the contest.
• Caroline Boehne led the team with 10 rebounds.
• Kennedy Johnson dished out a tied game-high seven assists.

The Tigers quickly turn around and play tournament host Bethel tomorrow at 2 p.m. CST on 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