TIGERS OVERCAME FIRST HALF DEFICIT TO WIN, 77-68, ON HOMECOMING
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
William Woods (0-1) | 42 | 26 | 68 |
|
Olivet Nazarene (1-0) | 35 | 42 | 77 |
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – On a night where McHie Arena's court was officially dedicated to the late great Ralph 'Tres' Hodge, the Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team opened its season against non-conference foe William Woods University on Friday night. The sell-out crowd at McHie Arena witnessed their Tigers take down the Owls, 77-68.
Tyler Schmidt opened the scoring for the Tigers as they lead, 2-0. However, the Owls had the three-ball dropping early as they led by 10 in the early going at 21-11. A Caleb Corro layup closed the gap to eight but the Owls made a three to extend their lead to 11 at 24-13. The two teams were trading three-point shots as the Tigers could not cut into the William Woods' lead. With 6:30 left in the first half, Schmidt made a pair of layups and Jake Brown, who provided some good minutes off the bench, marked a layup as well. The Tigers cut the deficit to 31-27.
The Owls shot 61% from downtown in the first half and led The Tigers, 42-35, going into the locker room. Schmidt led all Tiger scorers with 12 points and Alex Gross followed with nine points.
Halftime: William Woods 42, Olivet Nazarene 35
The Tigers came out of the locker room with some fire as Landon Pflederer drained a three to open the scoring for the Tigers. That was followed by another three by Chitty which cut the Owl lead to one at , 42-41. After the Owls countered with a three, Gross made a pair of layups, which tied the game at 45. The Tigers then grabbed their second lead of the game after Gross made another shot. ONU led 51-49. Then, the Tigers took control of the game as both Pflederer and Schmidt made shots and made the score, 55-51. Another layup by Chitty made the score, 57-51, and forced the Owls to take a timeout.
From there on, the Tigers used stout defense and timely offense to pace the rest of the game. ONU won their home and season opener, 77-68.
GAME VITALS
Final: Olivet Nazarene 77, William Woods 68
Records: Olivet Nazarene 1-0 | William Woods 0-1
Location: Ralph 'Tres' Hodge Court at McHie Arena | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.
QUICK HITS
- Schmidt led all scorers with a career-high 25 points and six assists.
- Gross followed Schmidt with 23 points and marked a double-double with 16 rebounds.
- Chitty marked a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
- The Tigers outrebounded the Owls, 39-34 and outscored them in points-in-the-paint, 46-26.
- The Tigers overcame a 14-point first-half deficit.
- Four of the starters for ONU scored in double figures.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Tigers hit the road on Tuesday, November 2nd as they travel to Marion, Ind. to face the Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST. Please visit onutigers.com for the most up-to-date information.
--ONU—
*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu
