NO. 13 TIGERS EARN THEIR PROGRAM-BEST 21ST CCAC WIN IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE AT SAINT XAVIER

CHICAGO—The No. 13 Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team concluded their regular season with a trip up the road to Saint Xavier University on Saturday afternoon.  The Tigers clinched their fourth-straight CCAC Season Championship and NAIA National Tournament berth with a 76-71 win over the Cougars.

The Tigers saw themselves battle-tested in the early in the first half.  Up 10-9 after Barik Olden made a layup, the Cougars made back-to-back threes and a layup to make the score, 17-10.  With nine minutes left, the Tigers continued to trail in the game by 10 at 28-18.  After an ONU timeout, Alex Gross, Landon Pflederer, and Cade Chitty spearheaded an 8-3 scoring run as the Tigers closed the gap to 30-26.  The Tigers started to grab the momentum.  After Chitty and Gross made layups, Caleb Corro hit a big three to make the score, 34-33, with two-and-a-half left in the half. 

The Tigers marked the final five points of the half and took a 38-34 lead going into the half. 

Halftime: No. 13 Olivet Nazarene 38, Saint Xavier 34

The Cougars, quickly, retook the lead when they dropped in eight straight points to start the second half.  The two teams went back-and-forth for the next series of possessions until A Gross layup and a Pflederer three gave the Tigers a 51-46 lead.  With eight minutes to go in the game, Saint Xavier started to close the gap.  At 57-51, SXU went on a 7-0 run to cut the game to 57-56.  At 59-58, Gross converted an and-one opportunity and also made a layup to put the Tigers up 64-58. 

Schmidt, Corro, and Pflederer made big shots down the stretch for the Tigers as they locked up a 76-71 win over Saint Xavier. 

GAME VITALS

Final: No. 13 Olivet Nazarene 76, Saint Xavier 71

Records: No. 13 Olivet Nazarene: 27-3 (21-1 CCAC) | Saint Xavier: 17-13 (14-8 CCAC)

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

PROGRAM MILESTONES/QUICK HITS

• The Tigers won their fourth-straight CCAC Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history since they joined the league in 1987. 
• The Tigers earn their fourth-straight bid to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament. 
• ONU earned the most conference wins in school history with 21. 
• Gross led the Tigers with 26 points and 14 rebounds, adding three blocks, four assists, and going 6-for-7 from the charity strike. 
• Pflederer and Corro went a combined 6-for-10 from behind the arc and scored 15 and 11 points, respectively. 
• Schmidt tossed in 12 points and added eight rebounds and four assists. 
• The Tigers outrebounded the Cougars, 41-29. 
• This game saw eight lead changes and four ties. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The No. 13 Tigers host the Quarterfinals of the CCAC Men's Basketball Tournament at McHie Arena on Wednesday, February 23rd at 7 p.m. The opponent is yet to be determined. 

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu