Box Score BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - In a critical CCAC game to wrap up the 2017-18 season the TIU Men's Basketball closed out a hard fought win, defeating Olivet Nazarene University 93-88 on Saturday afternoon.

Five Trojans in double-figures on Saturday, with O'Shae Williams and Greg Carlyle leading the way with 18 points a piece. Jeremy Carlyle, Thadeous Johnson, and Tyrone Carey also all finished with 10+ points to round out the top Trojans performers.

"Our theme today was toughness, and we really showed that down the stretch," said Head Coach Boomer Roberts. "Olivet's offense can be very difficult to stop, but we made enough plays to get keys stops which you have to do on the road."

The first half saw back and forth action between the two teams. TIU controlled the early moments of the half, leading by as much as 8 on two separate occasions in the opening frame, but ONU battled right back to make it a two point game before the halftime break.

With the Trojans leading by two going into the final frame, TIU continued to play solid defense down the stretch, holding the lead throughout the majority of the half. With 5:49 to go in the second frame the Trojans began to pull away after back to back buckets from J. Carlyle, and Carey. After the Tigers would close the gap to just two points with 2:13 remaining, Williams and G. Carlyle each would knock down a pair of free throws to seal the Trojan victory.

"We limited our turnovers offensively, played together, and stuck free throws down the stretch to finish it," added Roberts. "I'm proud of this team's growth, as we finished 8-1 in our last nine, including five road games. The guys have played with great joy that reflects who we are playing for, and we're peaking at the right time."

The Trojans will now turn their attention to the CCAC Tournament as the Trojans will be the #3 seed and host St. Xavier at home on Wednesday 2//21 with the time TBD.