Tigers Dominant in CCAC Home Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Holy Cross | 20 | 21 | 22 | 16 | 79 |
|
Olivet Nazarene | 34 | 27 | 39 | 34 | 134 |
Bourbonnais, Ill. – In this clash with Holy Cross College, the Tigers were able to runaway with a win to stay undefeated in CCAC games this season. The Tigers were able to jump out to an early 15 to two lead with contributions from several of their talented guards. Kayla Ross (SR/Elgin, Ill.) asserted her dominance on the boards and was able to start the transition offense, where she regularly found Sammy Stejskal (SR/Arlington Heights, Ill.) spotting up from the three-point line. Stejskal led the way in the first quarter with nine points, and ended the game by leading all scorers with 27 points. Crucial to their fast start was forwards Caroline Boehne (SO/Hoffman, Ill.) and Kaitlyn Clark (SO/Orting, Wash.). In a game where the Tigers were outsized, these two were crucial in securing rebounds and controlling the paint. The Tigers outrebounded Holy Cross 53 to 44. This helped the Tigers go into halftime with a 61-41 lead.
Moving into the second half, the Tigers started slow, but a bucket by Clark got them off and running again. Contributing to their second-half surge was Karina Smits (SO/Pewaukee, Wis.) who went six for 10 from the three-point line and ended up with 18 points in this game. Her running-mate, Kennedy Johnson (SO/Romulus, Mich.) dished out a game-high 10 assists. For a moment, these two switched roles in the fourth quarter when Johnson made a layup, off an assist by Smits, to put the Tigers up by 59 points. This was the largest lead of the game and credit to the defense for causing 37 turnovers. The defensive push was orchestrated largely by Ross who had 11 steals, and the Tigers were able to convert 45 points off turnovers. When the final buzzer sounded, the Tigers took home the win by a margin of 55.
GAME VITALS
Score: Olivet Nazarene – 134 | Holy Cross - 79
Records: Olivet Nazarene – 7-1 (3-0 CCAC) | Holy Cross 2-6 (1-3 CCAC)
Location: Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill. | McHie Arena
STAT TRACKER
- Sammy Stejskal: 27 points, 4 rebounds
- Kayla Ross: 14 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 11 steals
- Kennedy Johnson: 11 points, 10 assists
- Karina Smits: 18 points
- Zanna Myers (SO/Monticello, Ill.): 13 points, 4 rebounds
- Caroline Boehne: 11 points, 3 rebounds
NEWS AND NOTES
- With 27 points in this game, Sammy Stejskal jumped from 28th to 25th on the ONU all-time scoring list, with a total of 1,053 points.
- Kayla Ross ended up with 11 assists which moved her from 7th to 6th on the all-time list. Her running total is now 294, with 308 being the next number to beat.
- Kayla Ross is one assist away from her 600th all-time.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Tigers will have a road contest at Robert Morris University. The conference match-up will be played in Arlington Height at 1:00 PM on Saturday.