ONU Holds Off Saint Ambrose for Win

Davenport, Iowa – The Tigers were looking to rebound from their deflating loss on Thursday night that saw the team's hopes of forcing an overtime game against Grace college rattle off the rim at the buzzer. Looking to move forward from the disappointing outcome of that game, the Tigers traveled to Davenport, Iowa, to take on the Fighting Bees of Saint Ambrose. The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) game pitted 10-3 (6-1 CCAC) Olivet against the 5-6 (4-3 CCAC) Bees of Saint Ambrose.

The first quarter of the contest saw the Tigers and Bees battle back and forth for the first five minutes of the game. However, Zanna Myers (SO/Monticello, Ill.) sparked an ONU run at the 4:46 mark when she hit her second consecutive three-pointer to put the Tigers up by a score of 11-10. The Tigers proceeded to go on a 14-to-four run from this point, giving them a 25-14 lead to finish the first.

ONU continued to build on this lead in the second quarter, establishing an advantage of as many as 15 points in the period. Saint Ambrose continued to battle throughout the quarter, even though they trailed by double-digits for a significant portion of the period. The team's fight eventually led to the Bees pulling within two points when M. Prestegaard hit a jumper with a minute and a half left in the half to make the score 40-38. Thanks to stellar defense by Kayla Ross (SR/Elgin, Ill.) and Sammy Stejskal (SR/Arlington Heights, Ill.), the Tigers were able to force two turnovers in the final moments of the half. Stejskal also helped Olivet on the offensive side of the court at the end of the quarter by hitting consecutive three-pointers. Her three-points shots, combined with a Ross lay-up, allowed ONU to enter the half with a 48-39 advantage.

The second half began the same way the first half ended, with the Tigers building a quick double-digit lead. ONU saw their lead become 15-points when Kennedy Johnson (SO/Romulus, Mich.) made a layup two and half minutes into the half. Once again, Saint Ambrose refused to let the Tigers pull away for good. The Bees continued to battle with Olivet, narrowing the score difference to seven when Abby Lownik hit a layup at the 3:45 mark in the third quarter. Once again, ONU's defensive pressure of Avery Curry (SO/Chicago, Ill. ), and the defensive rebounding of Ross allowed the Tigers to build a double-digit lead to close the third.

Beginning the fourth quarter with a 70-58 advantage, Olivet hoped that they would have similar success in the final ten minutes of play. However, as was the case all afternoon, the Bees continued to hang in the game. With SAU keeping the lead under 10 for most of the quarter, the Tigers played efficiently to remain in the lead. Led by Ross, Stejskal, and Myers, the Tigers made crucial shots down the stretch and held off the Bees to end the game with a 98-97 victory.

GAME VITALS

Score: Olivet Nazarene – 98 | Saint Ambrose - 97

Records: Olivet Nazarene – 11-3 (7-1 CCAC) | Saint Ambrose 5-7 (4-4 CCAC)

Location: Saint Ambrose University | Davenport, Iowa | Lee Lohman Arena

STAT TRACKER

• Zanna Myers: 19 points, five rebounds, three steals
• Sammy Stejskal: 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals
• Kayla Ross: 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals
• Olivia Schmidt (SR/Eldridge, Iowa): 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals

WHAT'S NEXT?

ONU will be off until after the Christmas Holiday. The team will play on December 28th and 30th as the Tigers travel to California to play The Master's University and Westmont College. ONU will play The Master's on December 28th at 4:00 PM CST, and they will play Westmont on the 30th at 3:00 PM CST.