Kankakee Times

TIGERS SET TONE EARLY, CRUISE PAST WOLVES 89-64

The Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team set the tone early with a big run to open the game on their way to a 89-64 win over the Cardinal Stritch Wolves.

The Tigers wasted no time in taking control of the game, kicking off the action with a 15-0 run. The CCAC's leading scorer Tyler Schmidt tallied eight points during the stretch before Cardinal Stritch put any points on the board.

The Wolves (1-21, 1-15 CCAC) connected on three-straight possessions to get themselves into the game. But that was when ONU pieced together another 15-0 run to blow things wide open, leading by 26 before the midway-point of the first half. ONU led comfortably from there, cruising to the halftime locker room with a 19-point advantage.

The second-half was more of the same for ONU, leading by double-digits for the remainder of the game. 

After Daniel Murphy kickstarted an 11-0 run that put the Tigers up by 31, Head Coach Nick Birkey cleared the bench as the Tigers rolled to a 25-point victory.

ONU shot at a better than 63-percent clip from the floor while limiting the Wolves to just 38.8-percent shooting. The Tigers also dished out 27 assists to Cardinal Stritch's nine.

Five Tigers ended the contest in double-figures. Schmidt led all scorers with 27, scoring 17 in the first half. Braydon Flagg dropped in 16 while Barik Olden and Sam Emich contributed 12 and 10, respectively. Griffin Andricks chipped in 11 off the bench. Flagg also grabbed 10 rebounds to notch his first double-double of the season.

Tigers, now 17-6 overall and 12-3 in CCAC play, will finish out their homestand against IU-South Bend on Wednsday.

GAME VITALS

Final: Olivet Nazarene 89, Cardinal Stritch 64

Records: Olivet Nazarene 17-6 (12-3 CCAC) | Cardinal Stritch 1-21 (1-15 CCAC)

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

QUICK HITS

• Tyler Schmidt led all scorers with 27.

• Braydon Flagg tabbed his first double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

• Barik Olden scored 12 and Sam Emich contributed 10.

• Griffin Andricks chipped in 11 points off the bench.

• ONU shot at a better than 63-percent clip from the floor while limiting the Wolves to just 38.8-percent shooting.

• The Tigers dished out 27 assists to Cardinal Stritch's nine.

Original source can be found here