MARION, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball team defeated Olivet Nazarene University 82-59 in the first game of the 2021 NAIA National Championship Opening Round, presented by Ballogy, in the Marion (Ind.) Bracket inside Luckey Arena on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University.
The win moves the Warriors (22-8) into the championship game of the bracket where they will take on No 13-ranked Marian University for the right to advance to the 2021 NAIA National Championship final site in Kansas City, Mo. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. from Luckey Arena.
How It Happened
- The two teams, meeting for the first time since November 10, 2017, were tied up in a back-and-forth contest over the first 10 minutes of action with the score knotted up at 18-18 at the 10:19 mark.
- A triple from Cory McKinney at the 9:17 mark of the half sparked a 14-0 run for the Warriors, who held the Tigers scoreless for an 8:18 stretch to take a commanding lead and grab control of the game.
- The Warriors continued to push their lead in the second half, never letting the Tigers get closer than 13 points and holding as much as a 26-point advantage in what turned out to be a mismatch between the two former Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) rivals.
Inside the Box Score
- Cory McKinney and Josh Kline each had 16 points and nine rebound, with the former adding five assists while the latter had a block and a steal.
- Max Perez added 12 points, Rog Stein poured in 11 and Jeremy Davison chipped in 10 points off the bench.
- Lucas Lehrman had a career-best five blocks, with ONU's Alex Gross, who also had 21 points and 11 rebound, besting him by one in the game.
- The Warriors did not have a single free throw attempt in the first half.
