DEFENSE KEYS REGULAR-SEASON FINALE WIN OVER CALUMET

WHITING, Ind. –  Playing in their final game of the regular season, the Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team used a strong defensive effort to pull away for a 67-50 win over the Calumet 84-67 Saturday afternoon in the Rittenmeyer Center.

The Tigers limited the Crimson Wave to 21-of-60 shooting from the floor, good for 35 percent. That included a 6-of-25 performance from beyond the arc.

ONU set the tone early. Calumet (10-17, 8-12 CCAC) made just nine of their 31 field goal attempts in the first half, connecting on just 4-of-16 from three-point range. That allowed the Tigers to grab a 10-point lead at the end of the first, led by Sam Emich. The Copley, Ohio native filled in 15 of his game-high 26 points over the first 20 minutes, shooting an efficient 5-of-9 from the floor and hitting all four of his free-throw attempts.

Tyler Schmidt and Landon Pflederer combined for four quick points to extend the ONU lead to 40-26 a minute into the second half. And when Griffin Andricks scored in the paint with a stellar post move, the Tigers led by 16 with 7:42 to play.

The Crimson Wave pieced together a 9-2 run to cut the ONU lead to single digits, but the Tigers clapped back with a 7-2 run, pushing the lead back to double figures. And when Gabe Renchen capped the spurt with a corner 3-pointer, the Tigers again led by 14. The outcome was never in question from there.

Emich led all scorers with his 26 points. Schmidt finished with 20 to record his ninth straight game with 20 or more points. Pflederer netted 13 and Andricks chipped in a dozen. Renchen came off the bench to score five.

The Purple & Yellow Gold finished the regular season at 21-7 and 15-5 in league play, good for the third-best mark in the conference. They will open the CCAC Tournament by hosting six-seeded St. Ambrose in McHie Arena Wednesday at 6 p.m. CST.

--ONU—

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