ANGOLA, IND.-- Trine's men's basketball team picked up their first MIAA win of the season with a 69-59 victory over Adrian Saturday afternoon in Hershey Hall.
An opportunistic Thunder defense turned 17 Bulldog turnovers into 26 points. Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) led Trine with a career-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. Holmquist earned his points on 6-of-9 shooting and hit 9-of-11 free throws. As a team, Trine connected on 28-of-34 from the charity stripe (82 percent). A 13-0 second half run helped the Thunder close out the victory. Adrian was led by Ben Rodak, who scored 19 points and added six rebounds. Trine improves to 8-5 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Adrian falls to 4-9 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA.
Reigning-MIAA Player of the Week Tyler Good (Swanton, Ohio/Evergreen) continued his strong performance of late with a 19-point effort for Trine. Good connected on 5-of-7 from the field and all nine of his free throw attempts. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind./Zionsville) added 10 points. The Thunder shot 46 percent from the field (19-of-41).
Wes Reed added 11 points for Adrian on 4-of-11 shooting. The Bulldogs shot 43 percent from the field (21-of-49) and hit 12-of-17 from the free throw line (71 percent). Adrian held a 26-22 edge in the paint.
The Bulldogs started strong and built a 9-6 lead with 14:33 to play in the first half, after a three by Reed and a pair of free throws by Rodak gave Adrian five-straight points. Trine answered with a layup by Dixon, and a pair of free throws by Good gave Trine the lead for good. Those buckets were part of a 8-0 Thunder run.
A strong 18-7 surge over the final 7:25 of the first half gave Trine a little breathing room heading into the break. Holmquist scored nine of his points during this stretch, including knocking down a corner three with the shot clock winding down. Holmquist scored 17 points in the first half, tying his previous career-high in the first 20 minutes of the contest. His toughness down on the block helped Trine hold a 16-4 advantage in the paint in the first half to open up a 36-25 lead.
Adrian would not go quiety however, as the Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to pull as close as 44-39 with 10:24 to play. The Thunder would restore order though with a 13-0 run. Dustin Hall started the run with a driving layup. Todd Watkins (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Bernard) following with a jumper to give Trine a nine-point lead.
Then, Nick Tatu (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) made the hustle play of the game, skidding across the floor to come away with a steal and getting the ball to Watkins, who drew a flagrant foul. Watkins hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead back to double-digits. The Thunder kept the ball and Good hit a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession. After Watkins split a pair of free throws, Good capped the run with a thunderous two-fisted slam on a drive through the lane to make it 55-39 with 6:23 remaining.
Adrian pulled as close as seven in the closing minute, but Trine was able to ice the game from the free throw line. Watkins came up big in the second half for the Thunder, scoring all seven of his points in the game's final 20 minutes.
Trine will Kalamazoo in the second game of a basketball doubleheader Wednesday, Jan. 15 at Hershey Hall. The Thunder and Hornets will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. or a half hour after the conclusion of the preceding women's contest between Trine and Alma, which begins at 6:00 p.m.
