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Photo credit: Jackson Harvey
Photo credit: Jackson Harvey
Posted: Dec 30, 2022

LATE DEFENSE KEYS TIGER WIN OVER TAYLOR

Box Score

UPLAND, Ind. – Stellar defense down the stretch keyed the Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team's 75-69 win over the Taylor Trojans Friday night.

Coming out of the halftime locker room with a two-point lead, the Tigers opened the second half with six-straight points to extend their lead to eight. And when Griffin Andricks connected on a jump shot at the 13:45 mark, the Tigers led 50-41.

A 10-4 run for Taylor (8-7) would get the Trojans to within 58-57. Landon Pflederer cashed in a three-pointer to extend the Tiger lead, but the Trojans had the answer with a basket the next possession to keep it a one-score game with five minutes to play.

That basket, however, would be the last Taylor points for the next four-and-a-half minutes as the Tigers locked down on defense. ONU limited the Trojans to 0-of-5 shooting and forced a turnover over the stretch.

The stout defense allowed ONU to build on their lead as the clock wound down, and when Tyler Schmidt converted a pair of free throws, the Tigers led by double-digits with the shot clock turned off. Caleb Swearingen and Pflederer both hit free throws down the stretch to secure the win for ONU.

Schmidt led the charge for the Tigers in a back-and-forth first half that saw 11 lead changes and five ties, scoring 14 of his game-high 25 points in the first 20 minutes. Andricks and Pflederer both finished in double-figures with 12 and 10, respectively.

ONU, now 11-4 overall, will return to the court in the new year with a road matchup at St. Francis (Ill.)

GAME VITALS

Final: Olivet Nazarene 75, Taylor 69

Records: Olivet Nazarene 11-4 | Taylor 8-7

Location: Odle Arena | Taylor University | Upland, Ind.

QUICK HITS

  • Tyler Schmidt led the game in scoring for the 10th time this season with 26 points.

  • Griffin Andricks and Landon Pflederer both finished in double-figures with 12 and 10, respectively.

  • The Tigers shot 50-percent from the floor (27-54) and from deep (6-12).

  • ONU dished out 16 assists as a team.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers return to conference play with a CCAC matchup at St. Francis (Ill.) on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CST.

 

--ONU—

 

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu