ONU outscores Gold Nuggets 90-79 in Paradise Jam
December 20, 2008

Box score

     SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Courtney Hehn, the NAIA Division I leader in 3-point field goals made, made five 3-pointers and scored 16 points Saturday to lead Olivet Nazarene to a 90-79 women's basketball victory over NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana in the Paradise Jam.
     The Tigers (9-3) won their fifth in a row and snapped the season-best five-game winning streak of the Gold Nuggets (8-2).
     LaTashia Wise and SiMon Franklin scored 13 points apiece for Xavier. Brittany Powell and Jazmoné Kelly each scored 12 — it was the first time Kelly, a freshman, scored in double figures — and Jasmine Grant had 10.
     Brooke Peterson scored 11 points and Jealyn Foston 10 for ONU, which got points from all 13 of its players.
     Hehn was 5-of-10 from behind the arc to increase her NAIA-leading total to 76 3-pointers — 27 more than Xavier has made this season. ONU finished with 10 3-pointers, seven more than Xavier.
     The Tigers led 42-31 at halftime and 73-53 in the second half. Xavier cut the deficit to five points after halftime but did not draw closer.
     ONU outshot Xavier 49 to 43 percent from the floor. The Nuggets gained 34 turnovers but committed 36, both season highs. Both teams had seven players with three or more turnovers.
     Wise scored in double figures for a career-best third game in a row. She had a career-high 19 points Friday against another Illinois opponent, Judson, on the first day of this event.
     Olivet entered the game averaging an NAIA-leading 99.9 points. Xavier was 17th in scoring defense at 57.5.
     It was the most points Xavier allowed in a game since a 91-53 loss to Oklahoma City in the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship on March 21, 2003. The Nuggets have not allowed 100 points since the 1998-99 season. The Nuggets allowed a season-low 41 points against Judson.
     Xavier's next game will start at 4 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Paul Quinn in the HBCU Classic at Dallas. ONU will return to action Jan. 3 with a home game against Millikin.