Women’s basketball team defeated by Case Western, 86-72

Nickels scores career-high 23 points, Hancock matches career-high with 18 points

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Olivet College women's basketball team was defeated by Case Western Reserve (Ohio) University, 86-72, today in the consolation game of the Capital University/Marriott Holiday Tournament inside the Capital Center in Columbus, Ohio.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Case Western 86, Olivet 72
Location: Capital Center; Columbus, Ohio
Records: Case Western 8-3 overall, Olivet 0-11 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Olivet scored the first 10 points of the game on two three-pointers by senior Jillian Nickels and a pair of layups by freshman Jazmin Hildebrand.
• The Comets extended their lead to 12 points, 17-5, at the 3:41 mark of the opening quarter.
• Case Western came back with a 12-2 run to end the first quarter to trail by only two points, 19-17.
• Olivet scored three of the first five points of the second period to maintain its two-point cushion, 22-20.
• Over the next five minutes of game time, the Spartans went on a 16-0 run to take their largest lead, 36-22, with 3:55 left in the second stanza.
• The Comets put the next six points on the scoreboard to cut its deficit down to eight points, 36-28.
• Case Western had a three-point play to push its lead back 11 points, 39-28.
• Olivet scored the last three points to make the score 39-31 at halftime.
• The Comets made the first basket of the third quarter for a 39-33 score. Olivet would not get any closer for the rest of the game.
• The Spartans' largest lead of the game was 19 points, 66-47, early in the fourth period.
• With three minutes left in the game, the Comets were able to close the deficit to single digits, 78-69.

FOR THE COMETS

• For a third straight game, Nickels set a new career scoring high, as she tallied a team-leading 23 points with eight baskets, including six from behind the three-point arc, and one free throw. She had 19 on Dec. 20 against Lawrence Tech and 20 last night against Capital.
• Senior Kali Hancock chipped-in 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range. The 18 points matches her career-high, set earlier this season against Adrian. In addition, the .750 percentage is the second-best in school history for a single-game.
• Hildebrand finished with 14 points.
• Junior Ayren Parrish recorded a game-high eight assists.
• Senior Katie McKinnon pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.

FOR THE SPARTANS

• Hillary Hellmann scored a game-high 24 points.
• Kara Hageman and Jess McCoy had 15 points apiece.
• Kendall McConico contributed 10 points.
• Hageman grabbed a game-best nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

• Olivet resumes its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association schedule next Wednesday, Jan. 4, with a 6 p.m. game at Alma College.