NORTH MANCHESTER, IND.-- Trine blew out Earlham, 66-40, in game one of the HCAC/MIAA Challenge held Saturday afternoon at Manchester University's Stauffer-Wolfe Arena.
The Thunder never trailed on their way to their second-consecutive victory. Trine shot 55 percent (24-of-45) from the field while holding the Quakers to a 38 percent (12-of-32) clip. The Thunder forced Earlham into 23 turnovers, which Trine turned into 29 points. Tyler Good (Swanton, Ohio/Evergreen) scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and added six steals on the defensive end to lead Trine. The senior dished out three assists and did not commit a turnover. The Thunder evened their record at 2-2 on the season. Earlham falls to 0-2.
Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting for Trine. Will Dixon (Indianapolis, Ind/Zionsville) also shot 5-of-7 from the field and finished with 11 points. The Thunder committed just seven turnovers. The 40 points scored by the Quakers are the fewest allowed by Trine since the Thunder held Illinois Tech to 33 points Dec. 7, 2013.
Elijah Wilson-Thomas came off the bench to score 13 points to lead Earlham. DeAndre Lynch added seven points. The Quakers got 21 points off the bench, and outrebounded Trine by a 22-21 margin.
Trine was in control from the beginning, as the Thunder opened on a 10-0 run and never looked back. Trine forced five turnovers during that stretch, including two shot-clock violations. Overall, the Thunder held EC without a field goal for the first 7:25 of play. The Quakers were able to hang around for the rest of the first half, closing within 28-20 at the half.
A 14-0 Thunder run to start the second half kept any Earlham comeback hopes at bay. Defense paced the surge once again, as Trine forced seven turnovers during that stretch. Dixon, Holmquist and Good combined for all the scoring during the run, which ended with Trine holding a 42-20 lead with 13:19 remaining.
Earlham got as close as 44-32 with 9:52 to play, but 13-straight by the Thunder ensured that the Quakers would get no closer. Tarvis Malone (Toledo, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit) capped the run with a pair of free throws. Malone provided a spark off the bench with seven points.
The HCAC/MIAA Challenge concludes tomorrow as Trine faces Manchester at 3 p.m.