BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene women's basketball concluded the 2021-22 Chicago Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) regular-season falling to Saint Xavier 100-86 Saturday afternoon. Kennedy Johnson set a new season-high with 27 points while also tacking on seven assists and four rebounds.

The Cougars came out hot out of the gates running to an 8-0 lead. Johnson's jump shot midway through the period capped off a 10-2 answer to tie up the game. SXU ended the first 10 minutes on a 7-0 run to hold a 22-18 at the conclusion of the first quarter. ONU's guards Johnson and Olivia Demosthenes combined for 13 points.

The home team continued to build their lead by shooting 57 percent from the floor compared to the Tigers' 33 percent. Khendel Rolison, Maggie Cora, and Karina Smits each tallied a three-point basket in the second quarter trailing by 18 at the intermission.

Halftime: Saint Xavier 52, Olivet Nazarene 34

Saint Xavier's hot shooting continued in the third quarter as they ballooned their lead to as much as 31 before the period ended. The Tigers ended on a positive note after Kaitlyn Engle converted from beyond the arc with only 23 seconds left on the clock. Entering the fourth quarter, ONU trailed 81-53.

The Purple and Gold did not roll over and had their best offensive quarter in the fourth. Johnson scored 17 of their 24 points in the final period. Olivet turned Saint Xavier over 10 times and as a team combined for seven steals. The visitors outscored the home side 33-19 to end the game but ran out of time for a comeback.  

Game Vitals

Final: Saint Xavier 100, Olivet Nazarene 86

Records: Saint Xavier 23-5 (CCAC 21-1) | Olivet Nazarene 19-10 (CCAC 16-6)

Location: Shannon Center | Saint Xavier University | Chicago, Ill.

Quick Hits

• Kennedy Johnson has set new season-highs in back-to-back games combining for 51 in her last 49 minutes of play.
• Olivia Demosthenes, Zanna Myers, and Caroline Boehne each eclipsed double-digits scoring.
• ONU turned SXU over 22 total times combining for 15 steals.

The Tigers will begin their CCAC Championship Tournament journey with a visit to St. Ambrose on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Tip-off in Iowa is still to be determined. Please visit onutigers.com for the must up to date links to follow all the action.

--ONU—

*Contact: Patrick Kaindl, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, pkaindl@olivet.edu