Tigers Drop Close Game to Grace

Bourbonnais, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball team was in non-conference action on Thursday night as they took on the Grace College Lancers from Winona Lake, Indiana. This game marks the last home game for the Tigers before the school heads to Christmas break. The contest carried with it significant national ramifications for both teams as Grace entered the evening with a 9-2 overall record, and ONU beginning the game with a 10-2 record and ranked 20th in the NAIA.

Olivet players Zanna Myers (SO/Monticello, Ill.) and Karina Smits (SO/Pewaukee, Wis.) stated that tonight's game would be a good contest for the Tigers. Regarding the Lancers, Myers mentioned, "They play a similar style to us, but I think that could be to our advantage. So far, I do not think other teams have been able to keep up with them, but we feel that we will be able to match their tempo." She also stated, "I think this game will be a good opportunity to work on our game and be able to adjust and react to the things they try to use against us." Smits added, "They are pretty good shooters. We feel we have the height advantage, so we have to make sure to focus on forcing them to drive. Other than this, we will need to work on what we already do."

Myers and Smits were accurate in their prediction that Grace would come into the game looking to match Olivet's up-tempo style of play. From the beginning of the game, both teams played hard, aggressive defense and fast offense. Olivet held the initial advantage at playing with tempo as they jumped out to an early 26-19 lead at the end of the first quarter of play. This lead was largely thanks to Kayla Ross (SR/Elgin, Ill.), who provided four steals in the first quarter of the contest. Ross finished the night with five steals, moving her to third on ONU's all-time steal leaderboard.

The second quarter saw the teams match styles one again; however, the Lancers improved on turning the ball over in the second frame, committing six fewer turnovers in the period. The reduction in turnovers, combined with Grace shooting 47.1% from the field in the second, resulted in the visiting team remaining in the contest. When the period came to an end, the teams entered the locker rooms with ONU holding a modest 48-40 lead.

The third quarter saw Grace win their first period of the evening, earning a 22-21 advantage for the period. The Lancers managed this feat even with seven different Tigers scoring in the quarter. Kaitlyn Clark (SO/Orting, Wash.) and Karina Smits both scored six points coming out of the halftime break. However, the Tiger scoring was negated by the fact that Ross and Olivia Schmidt (SR/Eldridge, Iowa) each picked up their fourth fouls in the quarter. The two Tiger players being in foul trouble resulted in both the players having to play more conservatively on defense for the guards to remain in the game.

The fourth quarter saw the Tigers take a 10 point advantage less than a minute into the quarter when Karina Smits hit a three-point shot to open the scoring. However, Grace's Maddie Ryman responded by making a three of her own on the Lancer's next possession. The period saw the Tigers hold the lead until the waning minutes of the fourth. With 2:38 remaining in the quarter, Grace tied the game at 87 all when Veronnica Drake hit a three-pointer. From this point, the teams exchanged the lead twice, and tied the game an additional two times.

The back-and-forth action saw Katie Settingsgaard (SR/Oak Creek, Wis.) hit a three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining in the game to give the Tigers a 93-92 advantage. However, the Lancers responded with Ryman making one of her two free-throws at the 39-second mark to tie the game at 93 all. Each team proceeded to miss shots on their next possessions. With six seconds remaining in the game, Grace's Brooke Treadway stole the ball, leading to a lay-up by Drake that put the Lancers up by two.

Coach Lauren Glenn called a timeout after the score to prepare her team for one final attempt at tying the game. The Tiger's got the ball into the hands of Ross to put up the potential game-tying shot in the paint. Ross's shot was near perfect, but rattled the rim and fell to the floor as time expired, giving Grace a 95-93 victory in a well-played game by both sides.

GAME VITALS

Score: Olivet Nazarene – 93 | Grace – 95

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

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

STAT TRACKER

• Kaitlyn Clark: 14 points, five rebounds
• Sammy Stejskal (SR/Arlington Heights, Ill.): 13 points, six rebounds, three steals
• Karina Smits: 12 points, three assists, two rebounds
• Kennedy Johnson (SO/Romulus, Mich.): Eight points, 11 assists, four rebounds, four steals
• Katie Settingsgaard: Nine points, two steals, two rebounds
• Caroline Boehne (SO/Hoffman, Ill.): Seven points, eight rebounds
• Kayla Ross: Four points, eight rebounds, seven assists, five steals

NEWS AND NOTES

• Sammy Stejskal went over 1,100 points for her career on the night. She now has 1,110, placing her 23rd for the Tigers in all-time scoring.
• Kayla Ross's five steals give her 312 for her career, making her the third best Tiger all-time in steals.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers will resume conference play against St. Ambrose University on Saturday, December 14th. The Game will take place in Davenport, Iowa, with a 1:00 pm CST tip-off.