BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — For the first time since 2021, the Olivet Nazarene University women’s basketball team won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament Championship, after defeating Indiana University South Bend 81-80 on Saturday in McHie Arena. The Tigers secured the win with a strong 47% shooting performance from beyond the arc and capitalized on IU South Bend’s 24 turnovers, converting them into 31 points.
The first quarter began with Olivet taking an early lead through a three-pointer by Lindsey Nell, assisted by Jayden Flagg, at 9:14. Despite several lead changes, the Tigers managed to maintain momentum with a key three-pointer from Preslee Michael with 1:07 remaining in the quarter, followed by another from Kalli Papenfuss at 0:46, stretching their lead to five. The Titans responded with a late three-pointer, but Olivet held onto its advantage to end the quarter leading 21-19.
The Tigers surged ahead with a decisive 8-point lead at 8:16 in the second quarter, highlighted by Caroline Sikkink‘s 3-pointer following a steal. Despite the Titans briefly taking the lead with 5:01 remaining in the half, Olivet quickly regained control, and Ava Mikesell‘s crucial 3-pointer at 54 seconds helped Olivet maintain a narrow edge. The second quarter concluded with Olivet leading 42-39.
Olivet extended its lead in the third quarter with a balanced offensive effort, highlighted by a three-pointer from Olivia Dirkse at 3:42 and a layup from Sikkink at 0:30. The Tigers capitalized on the Titans’ turnovers, forcing nine in the quarter, and converted those into nine points. Olivet also benefitted from their bench contributors, who chipped in 11 points in the quarter. Heading into the fourth, the Tigers led 64-56.
The Tigers maintained control in the fourth quarter with crucial plays from Sikkink and a key three-pointer by Mikesell at 6:04. Nell extended the lead with a three-pointer at 5:26, giving Olivet a nine-point advantage, which was its largest of the quarter. IU South Bend answered quickly though and cut the lead to three just 90 seconds later. After a back-and-forth sequence that included a Brookelynn Buzzard steal and layup and a Dirkse three-pointer, the Tigers maintained a six-point lead with 2:49 remaining in the game. The Titans would answer once again though, and a three-pointer with 45 seconds remaining cut the Tiger’s lead to one. On Olivet’s final possession, a missed layup gave IU South Bend one more chance. The Titans were able to get a clean look at the basket from the top of the key, but the shot missed to the right. A scramble ensued for the rebound and the Titans grabbed the ball on the baseline and had one last shot to win, but the last-second shot bounced off the rim. As the buzzer sounded, the Olivet team rushed the court and was quickly engulfed by Olivet students rushing to join in the celebration.
Nell led the team with 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and added five rebounds. Dirkse contributed 11 points, shooting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Mikesell scored nine points, recorded four assists, and tallied two steals. Sikkink finished with 13 points and four rebounds, converting five of her 13 shots.
This is the first time in program history that the Tigers have won the outright CCAC regular season title and the CCAC tournament championship in the same season. The win also gives Head Coach Lauren Glenn her 300th career victory.
The Tigers improve their overall record to 25-6, and will await to see where they are placed in the national tournament. The NAIA women’s basketball selection show will air at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. Click here to watch.
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— Republished 3/3/2026 —
