FIGHTING SAINTS COMEBACK TO DOWN ONU AT HOME IN OT

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball team fall at home to the St. Francis Fighting Saints in overtime 99-97 Wednesday night. The Tigers led by as much as 12 in the second quarter but a late comeback saw USF force overtime and claim the victory with 1.8 seconds left in the game.

Kennedy Johnson got the Tigers clicking early pouring in 11 first-quarter points including a pair of three-point buckets. ONU lit it up from distance converting five three balls on only nine attempts. This included two triples from Maggie Cora. Olivet got out to a lead early going on an 8-0 run that spanned 51 seconds midway through the period to make it 16-7. Caroline Boehne capped off a high-flying quarter with a layup with 18 seconds remaining and both teams entered the first official break with a score of 30-24.

ONU carried the momentum into the second quarter by going on a 7-1 run highlighted by an Olivia Demosthenes three-point basket. The Tigers held the Fighting Saints without a field goal for the first 3:43 of the period that led to a 37-25 lead, the largest of the contest. St. Francis chipped away at the lead to bring it under 10 at the half.

Halftime: Olivet Nazarene 50, St. Francis (Ill.) 42

USF flipped the script in the second half holding the Tigers to only 12 points on 29.4% shooting from the floor in the third quarter. The Fighting saints poured in 12 fast-break points to Olivet's' four and did not allow ONU any opportunities from the free-throw line. A 12-3 St. Francis brought it to a one-point game. At that point, Olivet still held the lead at 62-61 at the end of three.

The final quarter of regulation saw six lead changes and four ties as both teams jockeyed for the lead at the end. St. Francis took their first lead of the night with a three-point basket 11 seconds in. ONU went on a run to build back a nine-point lead with 6:29 remaining in regulation. The Fighting Saints responded with a run of their own to take back the lead with 2 minutes remaining and the score standing at 82-81. With the game tied, USF held for the final shot in regulation. Kennedy Johnson clamped down and got her hand on Fighting Saints' three-point attempt as the buzzer went off to send the game to overtime.

Caroline Boehne had the winning shot at the end of the overtime period with the Fighting Saints leading by two with 1.8 seconds left. Her fade-away jump shot was left short as time expired ending the game.

Game Vitals

Final (OT): St. Francis (Ill.) 99, Olivet Nazarene 97

Records: Olivet Nazarene 9-7 (CCAC 6-3) | St. Francis (Ill.) 12-5 (CCAC 9-1)

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

Quick Hits

• Caroline Boehne recorded her fourth double-double of the season
• Boehne and Johnson led the Tigers in scoring with 22 and 20 points respectively.
• Johnson swiped a season-high five steals.
• Five different Tigers scored in double figures on the night.

The Tigers are back on the road this weekend as they visit Trinity International on Saturday, Jan. 8 with tip-off slated for 1 p.m. Please visit onutigers.com for all the up-to-date links to follow all the action.

--ONU—

*Contact: Patrick Kaindl, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, pkaindl@olivet.edu