Tigers Get Back on Track with Win Over Trinity Christian

Bourbonnais, Ill. – The Tigers bounced back from their tough loss to Saint Xavier on Wednesday evening with a win against conference opponent Trinity Christian College. The Tigers had difficulty defending the physical interior play of Trinity at the start of the game but were able to catch their footing with some incredible perimeter play. Natalie Bardwell (SO/Goodfield, Ill.) was the one to start the scoring tonight for the Tigers, and she also hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 16 late in the first quarter. Bardwell's three was followed by a Kayla Ross (SR/Elgin, Ill.) layup to take the lead. Once gaining the advantage, the Tigers never looked back. Ross finished with a game-high 19 points, using her speed and athleticism to score from inside the paint on seven of her eight made field goals. The first half came to a close when Olivia Schmidt (SR/Eldridge, Iowa) hit a last-second three-pointer to give the Tigers a 54 to 33 advantage.

With the second half underway, Zanna Myers (SO/Monticello, Ill.) and Maggie Cora (FR/Lizton, Ind.) would threaten the Trinity defense with their ability to shoot from deep. Myers ended the game shooting 80% from beyond the arc, and Cora shot a respectable 60% from that range, netting six of her nine points in the fourth quarter. Not to be overlooked, Caroline Boehne (SO/Hoffman, Ill.) had a phenomenal game in the post, scoring 13 points on five-of-six shooting from the field. Boehne's physical play helped neutralize the Trinity forwards. Helping her was Kaitlyn Clark (SO/Orting, Wash.), who led the team in rebounds with eight, and Ashley Ford (JR/Illiopolis, Ill.), who entered the fold after sitting out with injury. The Tigers defense was a force to be reckoned with, per usual, forcing 28 turnovers and generating 19 steals. The game would ultimately come to a close with a 28-point Tiger victory.

GAME VITALS

Score: Olivet Nazarene – 114 | Trinity Christian – 86

Records: Olivet Nazarene – 10-2 (6-1 CCAC) | Trinity Christian – 3-10 (1-6 CCAC)

Location: Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill. | McHie Arena

STAT TRACKER

• Kayla Ross: 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals
• Zanna Myers: 16 points, two assists, two steals
• Sammy Stejskal (SR/Arlington Heights, Ill.): 13 points, three rebounds
• Caroline Boehne: 13 points, two rebounds
• Olivia Schmidt: 11 points, two rebounds

NEWS AND NOTES

• Sammy Stejskal moved up to 24th on the ONU All-Time scoring list, with 1,097 points
• Caroline Boehne's 13-point game marked a career-high in scoring
• Kayla Ross is now tied for 16th All-Time in rebounds with 560, and she is one assist away from breaking into the All-Time top five, currently sitting at 307 assists.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers will finish their homestand in McHie Arena on Thursday, December 12th. They will face off with non-conference opponent Grace College at 7:00 PM CST.