Kankakee Times

ONU DOMINATES GOVERNORS STATE; SETS UP CCAC TITLE GAME ON SATURDAY

 The Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team put up their highest point total of the season en route to a 111-67 road win over the Governors State Jaguars Wednesday night.

The Tigers took control of the game early and never looked back. When Sam Emich scored the contest's opening basket, he gave ONU a lead they would hold on to for the rest of the game.

Governors State (8-19, 8-11 CCAC) converted on a layup at the 11-minute mark of the first half to make the score 26-15. But that was when a Barik Olden jumper ignited a 13-0 ONU run that put the game out of reach. After Gabe Renchen knocked down a three-pointer to close the spurt, the Tigers led by 24.

The Tigers hit the halftime locker room up by 26 points. That lead gradually swelled to as many as 56 points late in the second half as the Tigers rolled to their highest point total of the season.

ONU shot a scorching 71 percent from the floor (44-of-62) and connected on 13 of their 20 attempts from three while dishing out a season-high 38 assists as a team. The Tigers locked down on defense, holding the Jaguars to worse than 36 percent from the floor. 

Six Tigers scored in double figures in the win. Tyler Schmidt, who recently received his sixth CCAC Player of the Week award this season, led all scorers with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Braydon Flagg chipped in 15 off the bench. Caleb Swearingen knocked down four threes on his way to 14 points while Landon Pflederer dropped in 13. Emich and Olden contributed 10 points each.

The win improves ONU to 21-6 overall and 16-3 in the CCAC standings. With St. Xavier taking down Roosevelt 75-65 Wednesday night, the Tigers and Cougars sit atop the conference standings with 16-3 records.

The Tigers will take on St. Xavier in the final game of the regular season Saturday. The winner of that game will be crowned the CCAC regular-season champion.

Original source can be found here