COMEBACK BID FALLS SHORT AGAINST No. 11 INDIANA WESLEYAN

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – In a marquee matchup featuring two of the NAIA's best, the No. 15 Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team came up short in a 75-71 setback against No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan Wednesday night in McHie Arena.

The Tigers trailed by a bucket early until Landon Pflederer sparked an ONU spurt when he connected on consecutive three pointers. Tyler Schmidt then found Eli Edwards in the post for an easy layup before cashing one in of his own to give ONU a 17-11 lead midway through the first.

But Indiana Wesleyan (3-1) showed their moxy with a quick 8-0 run to reclaim the lead. Pflederer put in four-straight points to retake the lead for the Tigers, but the Wildcats went on another run to close out the first half with a 39-31 lead.

After the Wildcats scored a quick layup to open the second half with a 41-31 lead, Griffin Andricks ignited a 9-2 run for the Tigers when he sliced to the rim for a layup. A Pflederer layup was then sandwiched between Sam Emich's three-pointer and pair of free throws to make it a one-possession game.

The IWU lead hovered around four to five points over the next 10 minutes until Schmidt took over. With ONU trailing 59-54 midway through the second, the senior guard dropped in four-straight points before dishing an assist for an easy Edwards lay-in to give the Tigers their first lead since the 10-minute mark of the first period.

The two teams traded baskets up until the final minute of the game, with a Schmidt layup knotting the score at 71-71 with 1:11 to play. But it would prove to be the final ONU points as IWU would retake the lead on their next possession.

The Tigers were able to get a few good looks to tie things up down the stretch, but IWU hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to seal the 75-71 victory.

Schmidt led all scorers with 23 points. He was also credited with five rebounds and assists each. Pflederer hit four 3's on his way to 21 points. The duo also combined for five steals. Emich nearly reached double-figures with his nine points. Andricks and Caleb Swearingen chipped in four points apiece, while the former led the game with eight rebounds.

The Tigers, now 2-1 on the young season, will close out their last of three-consecutive NAIA Top-25 matchups when they host No. 17 Huntington in McHie Arena Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.

--ONU—

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