TIGERS DOWN WARRIORS IN FRONT OF HOMECOMING CROWD
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wisconsin Lutheran (0-1) | 34 | 48 | 82 |
|
Olivet Nazarene (1-0) | 47 | 43 | 90 |
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University opened the season with a statement win with a 90-82 victory over NCAA Division III foe Wisconsin Lutheran Friday night in front of packed homecoming crowd at McHie Arena. The win marked Head Coach Nick Birkey's 100th win at the helm.
Barik Olden set the tone for the Tiger's with a pair of layups to open up the scoring. ONU then pieced together a 7-0 run, capped by a Tyler Schmidt and-one layup on the break to build a seven-point lead.
Midway through the first half, the WLC Warriors had ONU facing a four-point deficit. However, the Tigers had the answer with another 7-0 run that put them back on top, with a Braydon Flagg three-pointer breaking the tie and giving ONU a lead they would hold on to for the remainder of the game.
The Tigers would close out the first half on an 11-2 run to build a 13-point lead heading into the locker room.
Olivet Nazarene 47, Wisconsin Lutheran 34
Wisconsin Lutheran was able to claw their way back into the game to open the second half, closing the gap to six points five minutes into the action. Caleb Corro put in a layup followed by back-to-back scores from Griffin Andricks put ONU back up by double-digits.
The lead eventually ballooned to 19 points after Landon Pflederer knocked down a pair of free throws. The Warriors had one last-ditch attempt to get back in the game, but a Flagg dunk got the crowd on its feet and virtually put the game away with 46 seconds remaining. The Tigers would hit their free throws down the stretch as they hung on to down the Warriors, 90-82.
GAME VITALS
Final: Olivet Nazarene 90, Wisconsin Lutheran 82
Records: Olivet Nazarene 1-0 | Wisconsin Lutheran 0-1
Location: McHie Arena | Bourbonnais, Ill. | Olivet Nazarene University
QUICK HITS
- Flagg dropped in a game-high 21 points.
- Schmidt filled in 19 points to go with 7 assists.
- The Tigers shot 62.5% (35-56) from the field and 47% from deep (7-15).
- ONU held WLC to 42.6% from the floor (29-68).
- The Tigers outrebounded the Warriors by double-digits (38-28).
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tigers will host Cornerstone on Nov. 5. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CST.
--ONU—
*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu
