Mount Vernon, Ohio – Olivet Nazarene handed the Bears their first loss of the season Saturday afternoon, outscoring the Bears 46-36 in the second half.

The Bears shot a 44% clip from the field, connecting on 25 of 56 attempts. From three, the Bears hit 8 of 20, their best percentage of the season.

Two of the most important factors in ONU's success were their ability to score in the paint and work on the boards. The Tiger's outscored the Bears 50-26 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 41-25.

In the first half, UPIKE's power came from their defense, forcing 13 turnovers in which they converted for 12 points on the other end. Emerging star Shaunn Monroe led the charge with 10 points, shooting 4-7 from the floor and 1-2 from deep in the first 20:00. Bradley Bunch offered 11 positive minutes in the period, busting a pair of shots including a three.

The two teams headed into the break locked at 28 after a tightly contested opening half.

Opening the second half, Jacob Brown dropped a layup to give the Bears the lead. Olivet went on a 6-3 run over the next few minutes but neither team was able to pull away. The largest lead for either team was three for 15 minutes of the period. Brown once again sank a layup with 11:36 remaining to tie the game at 46, setting up a showdown for the final 10 minutes of action.

Olivet went up four, answered by Devin Collins who came through with a massive three pointer to tie the game at 50 with 8:28 to go. Shaunn Monroe added a pair of free throws and a key three pointer as the Bears remained ahead 55-54 just two minutes later.

The Tigers pieced together an 18-6 run in the final 5:30 of play, shooting a perfect 8-8 from the floor to secure the win.

The Bears return to action on Thursday, November 17^th as they head to Henderson, Tenn. for Mid-South Conference Opener action against Freed-Hardeman.