ONU Women's Basketball Clinches Berth to CCAC Semifinals in Win Against St. Ambrose

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The RV Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball team took on the Saint Ambrose University Fighting Bees in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Quarterfinals and won, 97-82, inside McHie Arena on Thursday night.

Karina Smits (JR/Pewaukee, Wis.) started the game for the Tigers with back-to-back three-pointers making the score 6-2. The rest of the quarter was played very close, until the final two minutes as the Tigers grew the lead. After the Fighting Bees took a 19-18 lead, The Tigers marked the final seven points of the quarter to take a 25-19 lead. Maggie Cora (SO/Lizton, Ind.) led the Tigers with seven points.

After the Fighting Bees made a layup to open the second quarter, Ashley Ford (SR/Illiopolis, Ill.) made a layup to open the scoring for the Tigers. The preceding 12 points for the Tigers were all scored from behind the arc. ONU saw threes from Cora, Zanna Myers (JR/Monticello, Ill.), Bett O'Neal (SO/Bloomington, Ill.), and Avery Curry (JR/Chicago, Ill. ) as they grew their lead to 39-27. Myers then came back and buried another three after Saint Ambrose made a layup.

The Fighting Bees caught fire from behind the arc, but the Tigers still led by 10 at 49-39 going into the half. Cora led the Tigers with 10 points and O'Neal followed with 9 points, both off the bench.

Halftime: RV Olivet Nazarene 49, Saint Ambrose 39

Smits kicked off the scoring for the Tigers with a layup making the score, 51-39. With seven minutes left, the Fighting Bees tried to inch closer to the Tigers on a trio of field goals until Caroline Boehne (JR/Hoffman, Ill.), Myers, and Smits marked a field goals of their own making the score 64-48. The Tigers continued to control the game, down the stretch, in the final 3:30 and led 72-56 going into the final stanza.

After the Fighting Bees notch a three-pointer to kick off the fourth quarter, Kennedy Johnson (JR/Romulus, Mich.) notched a layup to kick off the scoring for the Tigers. The Tigers took a 74-59. At 80-61, the Fighting Bees rattled off six straight points, O'Neal scored five unanswered points making the score 85-67.

The Tigers made 19 threes and forced 29 Fighting Bee turnovers as ONU clinched a berth to the CCAC Semifinals ,on Saturday, as they won 97-82.

Game Vitals:

Final: RV Olivet Nazarene 97, Saint Ambrose 82

Records: RV Olivet Nazarene 15-3 | Saint Ambrose 12-8

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

Quick Hits

• The Tigers advanced to their second CCAC semifinal game in three seasons.
• Smits led the Tigers with 23 points and shot 7-of-17 from behind the arc.
• O'Neal followed with 15 on 4-of-5 from three-point range.
• Johnson and Cora contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Boehne led the Tigers with her second-straight double-digit rebound total of 10.
• The Tigers outrebounded the Fighting Bees on the offensive glass 20-5.

What's Next?

The Tigers await the winner of the game between the University of St. Francis and Trinity International University. The game will happen on Saturday, February 27, however the location and time of the game is TBA.

--ONU—

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