ANGOLA, IND.-- All five Trine starters scored in double-figures as the Thunder defeated North Park 87-73 in non-conference action Saturday afternoon in Hershey Hall.
The balanced offensive attack kept the North Park defense scrambling as Trine shot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field, with a Thunder player picking up an assist on 17 of those makes. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind.) led Trine with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, hitting a variety of tough leaners in the lane. Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich.) turned on a monster effort with his second double-double of the season, setting career-highs with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Holmquist's work on the block helped Trine hold a 16-4 advantage in second-chance points. Aaron Weaver scored 32 points on 10-of-15 shooting to pace North Park. Weaver added nine rebounds. Trine improves to 4-3 overall on the season. North Park falls to 2-4.
Tyler Good (Swanton, Ohio) turned in his second-consecutive double-figure effort with 19 points to go along with a career-high seven assists. Jake Bagley (Van Wert, Ohio) scored a career-high 13 points and added nine rebounds. Nick Tatu (Clarkston, Mich.) rounded out the superb effort from the Thunder starting five with 14 points, connecting on 4-of-6 from three-point range.
Juwan Henry came off the bench to score 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting for North Park. The Vikings shot 46 percent from the field (27-of-59). The Vikings picked up assists on just eight of their field goals.
The first half was a tight affair throughout and featured 10 ties and 13 lead-changes. Neither team led by more than four prior to halftime. Dixon's 10 points and Holmquist's 10 rebounds paced Trine in the first half. Weaver scored 16 points in the half, while Hall added 10 to pace the Viking first half effort. Trine went into the break with a 35-33 lead.
North Park opened the second half with a mini 8-4 surge to take their final lead of the contest at 41-39 with 18:03 to play. A circus-shot in the lane and a three by Dixon gave Trine the lead for good at 44-41 with 15:48 remaining in the contest.
The Thunder lead would hover between one and five until a 12-2 run gave Trine some cushion. With Trine clinging to a 55-51 lead, Tyler Good started the run by drawing a foul and knocking down a pair of free throws. On the ensuing North Park possession, Dixon came away with a steal and found Tatu for a transition three to push the lead to nine. A foul on the Vikings allowed Trine to keep possession, and Good made the Vikings pay with a triple to open up a 63-51 lead.
A layup by Henry momentarily stopped the surge, but Dixon answered with another bucket in the paint. Good capped off the run with a pair of free throws to make the score 67-53 with 7:44 remaining in the contest.
The Vikings were unable to get any closer than six the rest of the way. Trine iced the contest with 9-of-11 made free throws in the final 4:16 of the contest. The Thunder hit 21-of-29 (72 percent) from the charity stripe on the afternoon.
Trine returns to action Wednesday, Dec. 18 when they host Franklin for a non-conference tilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Hershey Hall.