Feb. 24, 2007

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - The Olivet Nazarene University women's basketball team and Robert Morris College (Ill.) combined to score an NAIA Division I national record for combined score, as the Tigers won 143-106.

The 249 points surpassed the 243 points that the Tigers and California Baptist University combined for earlier this season.

Codi Jaeger (Cincinnati, Ohio) hit a three-point shot nine seconds into the game, giving the Tigers the only lead that they would need, as the Tigers needed only four and a half minutes to build a double-digit lead, taking a 15-5 lead.

Robert Morris was able to get the deficit back into single digits, as Ashley Williams' three-pointer with 12:39 to play cut the lead to 24-16.

But that was as close as Robert Morris would get, as the Tigers outscored the visitors 49-32 over the final 12:39 of the first half, as the Tigers took a 73-48 lead.

The 73 points marked the third time in four games that the Tigers reached the 70-point plateau in the first half.

In the second half, Robert Morris was only able to get as close as 23 (82-59), with the Tigers building a 37-point lead by the final buzzer.

Eight players reached double figures for the Tigers, led by Hilary Disch's (Mattawan, Mich.) 20 points. Courtney Hehn (Monticello, Ill.) scored 17 points, with 15 coming on five three-pointers. Maggie Sillar (Marseilles, Ill.) chipped in 16 points, while Kellie Mullin (Momence, Ill.) and Jessica Mateer (Portage, Mich.) each scored 14. Courtney Neil (Brownsburg, Ind.) added 12, while Jade Stanlick (Edwardsville, Ill.) and Poppy Miller (New Haven, Ind.) each scored 10.

Sillar and Brooke Peterson (Arlington Heights, Ill.) each grabbed eight rebounds, but the Tigers were out-rebounded 49-47.

The Tigers finished the game shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from the three-point line, where they hit 19-of-43 attempts.

With the victory, the Tigers improved to 18-12 overall and 11-1 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, as they won their sixth straight and tied with Saint Xavier University for the conference regular season title.

The Tigers are on track to surpass their own record--set in 2005--for most three-point field goals made in a season (467), having already connected on 459 treys through their first 30 games (15.3 per game).

The Tigers enter the CCAC Tournament having won 12 of 14 games since losing 113-112 at the buzzer on the road to McKendree College (Ill.) on Jan. 5. Olivet is 11-0 at home since their 95-92 loss to Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) on Nov. 10.

The 143 points are shy of a school record of 145 points, which was set on Nov. 28 against Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.). It also marked the 16th time this season that the Tigers reached the century mark, as they are averaging 102.8 points per game.