The No. 19 Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team continued their road trip and traveled to the CSU Fieldhouse for a CCAC matchup with the Wolves of Cardinal Stritch University on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers swept the season series and won 80-62.
The Tigers found themselves down 11-4 early in the first half. Then, Alex Gross accounted for the next seven Tiger points and cut the Wolves' lead to 13-11. Then, Barik Olden hit a three as the Tigers took their first lead 14-13. The next couple minutes went back-and-forth as neither team could lead for more than two points. The Tigers then gained some momentum. With Cardinal Stritch up 19-17, Gross and James Owen went on an 8-0 run and ONU led 25-19.
The Wolves retook the lead back and went on a 9-0 run until Caleb Corro made a three-pointer. The Wolves led 29-28. The Tigers then found themselves down 34-28, and then went on an 8-0 run and went back up 36-34. The Tigers marked the final eight points of the half and took a 44-37 lead going into the half. Gross and Owen combined to go 13-for-13 from the field.
Halftime: No. 19 Olivet Nazarene 44, Cardinal Stritch 37
Gross and Caleb Swearingen spearheaded the Tigers offense in the second half as they combined for the first six points for the Tigers making the score, 50-37. The Wolves did come within nine at 61-52, forcing head Coach Nick Birkey to call a 30-second timeout. After the timeout, The Tigers went on a 7-0 run and ballooned their lead to 68-52.
Gross grabbed his 19th double-double of the season as the Tigers took down the Wolves, 80-62, for their ninth consecutive win.
GAME VITALS
Final: No. 19 Olivet Nazarene 80, Cardinal Stritch 62
Records: No. 19 Olivet Nazarene: 21-3 (15-1 CCAC) | Cardinal Stritch: 5-17 (3-13 CCAC)
Location: CSU Fieldhouse | Cardinal Stritch University | Milwaukee, Wis.
QUICK HITS
- Gross scored a career-high 40 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
- Owen marked a career-high 13 points on six-of-six shooting off the bench.
- Swearingen tallied his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
- The Tigers outrebounded the Wolves, 43-22.
- ONU outscored the Wolves in the paint, 52-12.
The No. 19 Tigers conclude their road-trip with a marquee CCAC matchup with nationally-ranked IU-South Bend on Wednesday, February 2nd. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CST. Please visit onutigers.com for more information.
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