TIGERS' SEASON CONCLUDES WITH AN OPENING ROUND EXIT FROM THE NAIA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The 15-seeded Olivet Nazarene women's basketball bowed out of the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round after a 97-66 loss at the hands of the 2-seed No. 4 Knights of Marian (Ind.).

ONU quickly got out ahead in the first quarter as they led 10-5 after the two minutes played. Zanna Myers and Karina Smits converted three-point baskets early attributing to the early advantage. MU responded with a 14-2 run to take back the lead, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the contest. The quarter ended with the home team leading 29-19.

The Knights pulled away in the second quarter holding the Tigers to 35.3% shooting from the floor and 1-5 from beyond the arc. Kennedy Johnson scored eight points in the first half while Caroline Boehne followed close behind with seven as the game went into the halftime intermission.

Halftime: No. 4 Marian 50, Olivet Nazarene 32

The Tigers put an emphasis on controlling the boards out of the locker room as they held the 12-10 advantage in the third quarter. ONU's bench accounted for 10 of them as Karina Smits, Olivia Demosthenes, Kaitlyn Engle, Kaitlyn Clark, and Jamie Finn each corralled two rebounds. The Purple and Gold did not have an answer to the Marian offense who converted 11-19 from the floor as their lead swelled to 28 heading into the fourth quarter.

Olivet found some life in the fourth quarter off the bench as Avery Curry and Demosthenes each tallied six points. The Tigers forced the Knights into nine turnovers for the quarter, but their consistent scoring at a clip of 58.3% closed the door on any late-game rally.

Game Vitals

Final: No. 4 Marian (Ind.) 97, Olivet Nazarene 66

Records: Olivet Nazarene 20-12 (CCAC 16-7) | No. 4 Marian (Ind.) 28-4 (Crossroads 17-1)

Location: Marian PE Center | Marian University | Indianapolis, Ill.

Quick Hits

• Kennedy Johnson finishes second in program history with 560 total assists.
• Zanna Myers moved to fourth in program history in made threes with 312 with Karina Smits in fifth with 310.
• Caroline Boehne set the school record with the most rebounds in a single season with 297. She sits fifth all-time in program history with 714.

THAN YOU SENIORS

The Tigers finish the season with a 20-12 overall record and a senior class that attributed to 108 wins and four-straight NAIA National Tournament appearances. They won two CCAC tournament championships and one CCAC regular-season championship. On behalf of the ONU Athletics Department, we thank you for all your hard work and dedication over the last four years. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

--ONU—

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