TIGERS PICK UP CONFERENCE WIN AGAINST CARDINAL STRITCH

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Tigers continue their road trip with a conference clash against the winless Wolves of Cardinal Stritch University. It was the Tiger's ability to play well as a unit in this game that allowed them to push ahead to add another conference victory to their resumé.

The Wolves were first on the board, but the Tigers quickly found their stride when CJ Smith (SR/Cumming, Ga.) hit a three-pointer to give them the lead. Smith led the way in the first half with 11 points on 45% shooting from beyond the arc. The Tigers got a spark off the bench, thanks to solid performances from Tyler Schmidt (FR/Valparaiso, Ind. ) and Gavin Griggs (SR/Middletown, Ind.). Schmidt quickly strung together five points in the middle of the half to keep the Wolves at bay and went on to score 11 in the game. Then, with two minutes remaining, Griggs picked up a steal and dunked it home to give the Tigers a 12-point lead, which was the largest of the half for ONU.

Halftime: ONU 38, CSU 28

Emerging early in the second half was Cade Chitty (JR/White Heath, Ill.) who provided an offensive anchor for the Tigers. Chitty bolstered the production in the paint, which made room for John Contant (SR/Hickory Hills, Ill.) to catch fire on the perimeter, scoring 20 of his 25 points in the second half. With Contant running free against the Wolves defensive, opportunities opened up for other members of the Tiger's offensive rotation. Six of the seven ONU players that scored in this game put up double digits, which added an element of balance to their attack. Ultimately, shooting over 50% from the field in this game allowed for the Tigers to pull ahead and comfortably win by a margin of 14.

GAME VITALS

Score: Olivet Nazarene – 89 | Cardinal Stritch – 75

Records: Olivet Nazarene – 7-3 (6-1) | Cardinal Stritch – 0-13 (0-8)

Location: Cardinal Stritch University | Milwaukee, Wis. | CSU Fieldhouse

STAT TRACKER

• John Contant: 25 points, four rebounds, two steals
• CJ Smith: 16 points, five rebounds, two assists
• Cade Chitty: 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists
• Alex Gross (JR/Hope, Ind.): 10 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks
• Gavin Griggs: 10 points, five rebounds, two assists
• Tyler Schmidt: 11 points, four assists, two rebounds

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers will continue their road trip with a game against the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. The game will take place on Saturday, February 6^th at 7 pm CT.

*ONU streaming network: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/olivet/

--ONU--

Contact: Brenten Couch, Sports Information GA, bjcouch@olivet.edu