BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Caleb Corro filled in a career-best 37 points to lead the Olivet Nazarene University men’s basketball team to an 83-73 win over Holy Cross Wednesday afternoon in McHie Arena.
The redshirt junior guard and two-time CCAC Offensive Player of the Week shot a scorching 13-of-21 from the floor, including a 6-of-9 performance from beyond the arc, to set his new career high. He was also a near-perfect 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Corro unloaded a barrage of 3-pointers to break the game wide open in the opening period. Trailing 16-14 at the 13:45 mark of the first half, Corro knocked down four consecutive triples in four possessions to give the Tigers a 26-20 advantage.
The Elmwood Park, Ill., native closed the first half with 19 points. That coupled with 11 from Daniel Murphy and eight more from Eli Edwards, who made his first return to action after missing the last 11 games with a foot injury, helped ONU to a 40-36 halftime lead.
Holy Cross (9-15, 6-11 CCAC) opened the second half with a quick 7-0 run to retake the lead. But a Luke Yeager putback layup sparked an extended 19-2 run to put the Tigers right back in front. All five ONU starters scored in the game-changing run, and when Corro capped the spurt with a 3-pointer, the Tigers led 59-40. The outcome was never in question from there.
Murphy and Edwards both joined Corro in double figures with 16 and 14, respectively. Edwards also notched a double-double with 11 rebounds. Tyler Curl chipped in eight while leading the team on the glass with 14 boards. Caleb Swearingen notched six points and Yeager had two.
The Tigers (12-13, 10-7 CCAC) will look to extend their winning streak when they travel to Trinity Christian Saturday.