BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — In a nail-biting conference matchup, the Indiana University Northwest men's basketball team fell just short against Olivet Nazarene University, 76-74, on Saturday afternoon at McHie Arena.

The RedHawks (10-4, 4-2 CCAC) held a 45-29 halftime lead, shooting 51.5% from the field in the first half, but Olivet Nazarene (5-9, 3-3 CCAC) stormed back with a dominant second-half performance, outscoring IU Northwest 47-29 to secure the victory.

Trace Williams and Caleb Jenkins led the RedHawks with 17 points apiece. Williams added six rebounds and four steals, while Jenkins shot 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and grabbed seven boards. Jaylen Jennings provided a spark off the bench, contributing 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting and connecting on two three-pointers.

Olivet Nazarene's Caleb Corro paced all scorers with 20 points, seven assists, and two steals, while Daniel Murphy recorded a near double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. Luke Yeager added 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting to help the Tigers erase a 16-point halftime deficit.

The RedHawks struggled offensively in the second half, shooting just 30% from the field and 21.4% from three-point range. Olivet Nazarene capitalized on IU Northwest's 12 turnovers, scoring 20 points off those mistakes. The Tigers also dominated inside, scoring 36 points in the paint compared to IU Northwest's 26.

Despite the loss, IU Northwest saw strong contributions from its bench, which tallied 25 points. Ladaion Barnes led the effort on the glass, pulling down a game-high nine rebounds to go along with seven points.

The RedHawks will aim to bounce back on Wednesday, Jan. 8, when they return to the Savannah Center to host Judson University in a CCAC matchup. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Keep up with all the latest updates on Indiana Northwest Athletics by following @IUNRedHawks on X and Instagram.

Recap by PJ Katona