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Photo credit: Jackson Harvey
Photo credit: Jackson Harvey
Posted: Feb 18, 2023

CORA LEADS TIGERBALL PAST SXU ON SENIOR DAY

Photos Box Score

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball program concluded the 2022-23 regular season with a 95-86 win over Saint Xavier (20-8, 16-4 CCAC) in their final home game of the year. Senior guard, Maggie Cora,  led the team with 20 points and seven rebounds on Senior Day. ONU wrapped up the third seed following a 16-4 record in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and will host the Fighting Bees of St. Ambrose in the first round of the CCAC Tournament.


The Tigers' prowess on offensive boards to start the game kept the score close despite ONU's struggles shooting from the floor. Maggie Cora and Olivia Demosthenes each snagged three rebounds on the offensive end as Olivet grabbed 14 as a team in the open 10 minutes. They converted 13 second-chance points off these rebounds while the visitors were held to zero. Outrebounding SXU 20-8 kept the deficit within single digits despite starting the game 0-8 shooting from three and 23 percent from the floor.


A pair of three-pointers from Caroline Boehne and Anne Petters capped off an 8-2 run by ONU to start the second quarter to take a 27-26 lead. The Tigers turned it around offensively shooting at a 44.4 percent clip from the field to outscore the Cougars 25-23 in the second period. SXU benefited from a 7-2 run to end the half to take a 47-42 lead into the break.


Cora and Olivia Dirkse got hot to start the second half with the senior scoring seven points and the freshman scoring six in the third quarter. ONU poured in six threes from five different players. A 10-2 run regained the lead for the Purple and Yellow-Gold to build a seven-point lead at the 4:55-mark.


The Tigers finished off the victory with a pair of 9-0 runs in the final period. Olivia Demosthenes drained both free throws on the tail end of a 9-0 run to build their largest advantage of the game at 10 points. Saint Xavier chipped away at the lead until the game was tied 86-86 with 3:20 remaining. Cora put the game on ice scoring the final five points on a 9-0 game-ending run. A three-pointer and a baseline jumper late in the shot clock secured the 95-86 win.


QUICK HITS

  • Cora scored 20-plus points in a game for the fourth time this season and was one rebound shy of tying a season-high with seven rebounds.
  • The Tigers won the battle on the boards securing 22 rebounds on the offensive end to SXU's 10.
  • ONU benefitted from 19 second-chance points to the Cougars' two.
  • Five different Tigers eclipsed double-digits in scoring; Cora (20), Boehne (17), Dirkse (15), Bett O'Neal (13), and Demosthenes (11).
  • The Tigers forced 28 SXU turnovers with 16 steals.

 

WHAT'S NEXT

The Tigers will look to keep their season alive as they play SAU in the first round of the CCAC Tournament. The three-versus-six-seeded matchup will be played next Wednesday, Feb. 22. The tip-off in McHie Arena is to be announced. Please visit ONUTigers.com for the live links to follow all the action.

 

--ONU—

 

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