The Tigers Force 34 Turnovers to Defeat Judson

ELGIN, Ill. – After losing the opening game of the Judson Christmas Classic, The Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball team bounced back to defeat the tournament host Judson University, 74-58, inside the Lindner Fitness Center on Thursday.

In the first quarter, three different Tigers tallied a three. Avery Curry (JR/Chicago, Ill. ) led the Tigers with two made threes while Zanna Myers (JR/Monticello, Ill.) and Olivia Demosthenes (FR/Bloomington, Ill.) made one apiece. The Tigers led by as much as seven, but were behind 20-15 after one quarter of play. Curry led all scorers with six points.

First Quarter: Judson 20, Olivet Nazarene 15

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Eagles marked a layup until Caroline Boehne (JR/Hoffman, Ill.) and Demosthenes marked field goals inching the Tigers closer at 22-20. After Judson made a three, Maggie Cora (SO/Lizton, Ind.) made a free throw and Bett O'Neal (SO/Bloomington, Ill.) hit a three making the score 25-24. After Judson made a layup, the Tigers tied the game at 27 on a three-pointer by Cora.

The Tigers only managed six more points in the quarter on a three by Demosthenes, a layup by Kaitlyn Clark (JR/Orting, Wash.), and a free throw by Boehne. The Tigers trailed 37-33 going into the locker room. Demosthenes led all scorers with nine points and Clark led the Tigers with four rebounds. In the half, the Tigers accumulated 10 steals and forced 16 turnovers.

Halftime: Judson 37, Olivet Nazarene 33

After Myers opened the third quarter with a layup, the Tigers scored 6 of the next 10 points, highlighted by a three by Curry, moving the score to 41-40, Eagles. After an Eagle layup, the Tigers took the lead back and went on a 9-0 run making the score 49-43. The Tigers would not surrender the lead again in the game.

After neither team scored a field goal for almost two-and-half-minutes, Demosthenes marked a layup making the score 53-45 with one-minute left in the quarter. The Tigers only held the Eagles to four more points in the quarter and forced nine more turnovers to lead, 53-47, after three quarters of play. Demosthenes led all scorers with 14 points.

Third Quarter: Olivet Nazarene 53, Judson 47

The Tigers started the fourth quarter strong when Cora scored four straight points and grew their lead to 57-47. After an Eagle layup, Karina Smits (JR/Pewaukee, Wis.) knocked down a three and Boehne made two free throws moving the score to 62-49.

The Tigers led by as many as 16 and finished the game on a 7-2 run to defeat the Judson Eagles, 74-58.

Final: Olivet Nazarene 74, Judson 58

Game Vitals:

Score: Olivet Nazarene 74 | Judson 58

Records: Olivet Nazarene 2-1 (0-0 CCAC) | Judson 4-5 (0-0 CCAC)

Location: Lindner Fitness Center | Judson University | Elgin, Ill.

Quick Hits:

• Demosthenes led all scorers with 22 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
• Curry followed Demosthenes with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
• Cora led the Tigers with seven boards.
• The Tigers tallied 30 points off 34 Eagle turnovers.
• Demosthenes also led the Tigers with six steals and four assists

What's Next?

The Tigers (2-1) open Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play against the Trinity Christian College Trolls. Tipoff inside McHie Arena is set for 1 p.m. Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, there will be no fans permitted. Please visit onutigers.com to view the live links for this game and the rest of the games this season.

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu